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      Bacterial biofilm development as a multicellular adaptation: antibiotic resistance and new therapeutic strategies.

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          Abstract

          Bacteria have evolved the ability to form multicellular, surface-adherent communities called biofilms that allow survival in hostile environments. In clinical settings, bacteria are exposed to various sources of stress, including antibiotics, nutrient limitation, anaerobiosis, heat shock, etc., which in turn trigger adaptive responses in bacterial cells. The combination of this and other defense mechanisms results in the formation of highly (adaptively) resistant multicellular structures that are recalcitrant to host immune clearance mechanisms and very difficult to eradicate with the currently available antimicrobial agents, which are generally developed for the eradication of free-swimming (planktonic) bacteria. However, novel strategies that specifically target the biofilm mode of growth have been recently described, thus providing the basis for future anti-biofilm therapy.

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          Author and article information

          Journal
          Curr Opin Microbiol
          Current opinion in microbiology
          Elsevier BV
          1879-0364
          1369-5274
          Oct 2013
          : 16
          : 5
          Affiliations
          [1 ] Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
          Article
          S1369-5274(13)00089-1
          10.1016/j.mib.2013.06.013
          23880136
          e18a0a0d-b54b-48fb-98fd-533f4b963e5b
          Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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