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Biofilm—“City of microbes” or an analogue of multicellular organisms?

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Abstract

The definition of the term “biofilm” and the validity of the analogy between these structured microbial communities and multicellular organisms are discussed in the review. The mechanisms of biofilm formation, the types of interrelations of the components of biofilms, and the reasons for biofilm resistance to biocides and stress factors are considered in detail. The role of biofilms in microbial ecology and in biotechnology is discussed.

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  1. Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. 60-letiya Oktyabrya 7, k. 2, Moscow, 117312, Russia

    Yu. A. Nikolaev & V. K. Plakunov

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  1. Yu. A. Nikolaev
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Original Russian Text © Yu. A. Nikolaev, V.K. Plakunov, 2007, Published in Mikrobiologiya, 2007, Vol. 76, No. 2, pp. 149–163.

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Nikolaev, Y.A., Plakunov, V.K. Biofilm—“City of microbes” or an analogue of multicellular organisms?. Microbiology 76, 125–138 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0026261707020014

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