Surface topology affects wetting behavior of biofilms.

The colonization of surfaces by bacterial biofilms constitutes a huge problem in healthcare and industry. When attempting biofilm inactivation or removal, it is crucial to sufficiently wet the biofilm surface with antibacterial agents; however, certain biofilms efficiently resist wetting, and the origin of this behavior remains to date unclear. Here, we demonstrate that, depending on the growth medium used, the model bacterium can form biofilm colonies with distinct surface properties: we find either hydrophilic or two variants of hydrophobic behavior.

Direct Comparison of Physical Properties of Bacillus subtilis NCIB 3610 and B-1 Biofilms.

Many bacteria form surface-attached communities known as biofilms. Due to the extreme resistance of these bacterial biofilms to antibiotics and mechanical stresses, biofilms are of growing interest not only in microbiology but also in medicine and industry. Previous studies have determined the extracellular polymeric substances present in the matrix of biofilms formed by Bacillus subtilis NCIB 3610.

Adapting a commercial shear rheometer for applications in cartilage research.

Cartilage research typically requires a broad range of experimental characterization techniques and thus various testing setups. Here, we describe how several of those tests can be performed with a single experimental platform, i.e.

Selected metal ions protect Bacillus subtilis biofilms from erosion.

Many problems caused by bacterial biofilms can be traced back to their high resilience towards chemical perturbations and their extraordinary sturdiness towards mechanical forces. However, the molecular mechanisms that link the mechanical properties of a biofilm with the ability of bacteria to survive in different chemical environments remain enigmatic. Here, we study the erosion stability of Bacillus subtilis (B.