Genetics and Microbiology of Biofilm Formation by Vibrio cholerae
Fitnat H. Yildiz and Roberto Kolter
from: Vibrio cholerae: Genomics and Molecular Biology (Edited by: Shah M. Faruque and G. Balakrish Nair). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2008)
Abstract
In nature, most bacteria grow as matrix-enclosed, surface-associated communities known as biofilms. Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of the disease cholera, forms biofilms on diverse surfaces. This ability to form biofilms appears to be critical for the environmental survival and the transmission of V. cholerae. The molecular mechanisms utilized by V. cholerae to form and maintain biofilms are being investigated through a combination of molecular genetic and microscopic approaches. A better understanding of the life cycle of this important human pathogen should prove useful in the development of future strategies for predicting and controlling cholera epidemics read more ...
