INTRODUCTION TO BIOFILMS: CONCEPTUAL THEMES

It is a wonderful time to work on microbial biofilms. There has been an explosion of studies examining the molecular genetic basis of biofilm formation by bacteria and fungi. The wealth of recent genetic, biochemical, and microscopic data makes this an ideal time to step back and reflect on themes in this rapidly growing field. One of the prime motivations for this book is to summarize where we stand today (the fall of 2003) in terms of our understanding of the molecular genetic basis of microbial biofilm development and biofilm-associated properties. This book is by no means an all-inclusive work—to make it so would require reviewing a literature going back at least 70 years or more ( Henrici, 1933 ). Many scientists have contributed to laying the foundation for the work presented in this volume, and to these pioneers we are grateful.

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