ABSTRACT
The production of biofilms is a crucial adaptation and survival strategy frequently used by bacteria. The extracellular polymeric substances shield bacteria in the biofilm from harmful environmental influences and immunological responses. Bacteria may persist in a variety of physiological states due to chemical gradients created throughout the biofilm, giving insurance effects in shifting circumstances. Moreover, multiple species that interact with one another can make up biofilms. Given their high cell density, increasing genetic competitiveness, and accumulation of mobile genetic material, biofilms offer a perfect habitat for the exchange of extrachromosomal DNA. Intercellular quorum-sensing signaling and intracellular c-di-GMP signaling control the production of biofilms. Based on interfering with these two signaling systems, new techniques for controlling biofilms are being developed. Utilizing cutting-edge biofilm control techniques is thought to enhance the effectiveness of antibiotics, which are frequently ineffective against biofilm and may also cause bacterial drug resistance. In this chapter, we shed light on the nature of biofilm, its role in developing antimicrobial resistance and chronic infections, the detection of biofilm formation phenotypically and genotypically, natural compounds that may inhibit biofilm formation, and the recent advances in biofilm control.
