Microbial biofilm is defined as a sessile multicellular microbial community characterized by cells that are firmly attached to a surface and enmeshed in a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances. Biofilms play a very important role in pulp and periradicular pathosis. The aim of this article was to review the role of endodontic biofilms and the effects of root canal irrigants,...

Understanding the mechanism of ET (electron transfer) through electroactive microbial biofilms is a challenge in the field of fundamental and applied life sciences. To date, electrochemical techniques such as CV (cyclic voltammetry) have been applied successfully to study the ET process in intact microbial biofilms on electrodes, providing important insight into their redox properties. However,...

Landfill and radioactive waste disposal risk assessments focus on contaminant transport and are principally concerned with understanding the movement of gas, water and solutes through engineered barriers and natural groundwater systems. However, microbiological activity can impact on transport processes changing the chemical and physical characteristics of the subsurface environment. Such effec...

Biofilms and microbial aggregates are the common mechanisms for the survival of bacteria in nature. In other words, the ability to form biofilms has been regarded as a virulence factor. Microbial biofilms play an essential role in several infectious diseases such as pulp and periradicular pathosis. The aim of this article was to review the adaptation mechanisms of biofilms, their roles in pulpa...

Water quality is largely influenced by the abundance and diversity of indigenous microbes present within an aquatic environment. Physical, chemical and biological contaminants from anthropogenic activities can accumulate in aquatic systems causing detrimental ecological consequences. Approaches exploiting microbial processes are now being utilized for the detection, and removal or reduction of ...

Bacterial biofilms are communities of microorganisms residing within a polysaccharide matrix. Dental plaque, slimy coating in tanks, and algal mats on bodies of water are examples of biofilms. It is well accepted that biofilms play important role in bacterial persistence and antibiotic resistance in chronic infections. It is acknowledged that the majority of microbial cells on earth are living ...

There are bacteria that can form strong biofilms in porous media. These biofilms can be used as biobarriers to restrict the flow of pollutants. For certain contaminants, a second species of bacteria that can actually react with the contaminants can be added to the biobarrier to actually degrade the pollutants. We propose some mathematical models for the formation of these reacting biobarriers u...

Characterization of the various microbial populations present in exoelectrogenic biofilms provides insight into the processes required to convert complex organic matter in wastewater streams into electrical current in bioelectrochemical systems (BESs). Analysis of the community profiles of exoelectrogenic microbial consortia in BESs fed different substrates gives a clearer picture of the differ...

Ecology, with a traditional focus on plants and animals, seeks to understand the mechanisms underlying structure and dynamics of communities. In microbial ecology, the focus is changing from planktonic communities to attached biofilms that dominate microbial life in numerous systems. Therefore, interest in the structure and function of biofilms is on the rise. Biofilms can form reproducible phy...