Biofilm: Formation, Control, and Applications, Second Edition

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Biofilm".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 1072

Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, Tagliatela College of Engineering, University of New Haven, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
Interests: biofilm formation; material properties; cell-to-cell interactions; prevention; environmental and medical challenges
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a continuation of our previous Special Issue entitled “Biofilm: Formation, Control, and Applications”.

Bacterial biofilms are aggregates of single or multiple species of bacteria formed at various interfaces, such as solid–liquid, liquid–air, or liquid–liquid interfaces. Beneficial biofilms have played important roles in bioremediation, fermentation, nuclear waste cleanup, and manufacturing. However, biofilms can also be detrimental by causing infections, biofouling, and biocorrosion. Understanding how biofilms are formed is critical to efficiently prevent and remove detrimental biofilms and optimally engineer biofilms with beneficial attributes. Recently, the material properties (e.g., viscosity and elasticity) of biofilms have been attracting extensive attention due to their roles in controlling the activities of embedded cells (e.g., metabolic activities and cell-to-cell interactions) and the responses of biofilms to external perturbations (e.g., biofilm disruption). This Special Issue welcomes research on bacterial biofilms to better understand the molecular mechanisms of biofilm formation for biofilm control.

Dr. Huan Gu
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • biofilm formation
  • material properties
  • cell-to-cell interactions
  • prevention
  • removal
  • control

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3191 KB  
Article
Biofilm Characterization by AFM and SEM and Growth Kinetics of Geobacter sulfurreducens in Regional Cheese Whey
by Juana Elizabeth Alba-Cuevas, Virginia Villa-Cruz, Héctor Pérez Ladrón de Guevara, Lily X. Zelaya-Molina and Haiku Daniel Gómez-Velázquez
Microorganisms 2026, 14(7), 1414; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14071414 - 27 Jun 2026
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Abstract
Geobacter sulfurreducens is a model bacterium widely used in microbial fuel cell (MFC) research due to its efficient extracellular electron transfer. However, the high cost of synthetic media limits the scalability of these systems, making agro-industrial byproducts like cheese whey a sustainable alternative. [...] Read more.
Geobacter sulfurreducens is a model bacterium widely used in microbial fuel cell (MFC) research due to its efficient extracellular electron transfer. However, the high cost of synthetic media limits the scalability of these systems, making agro-industrial byproducts like cheese whey a sustainable alternative. This study evaluated cheese whey as a growth medium for G. sulfurreducens and its influence on biofilm development on graphite bars electrodes. Bacterial growth kinetics and biofilm architecture were characterized using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) as the primary quantitative tool, supplemented by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Growth curves revealed a diauxic-like transition within the first 48 h, with high cell viability (94%). AFM analysis demonstrated a non-linear topographical evolution: an initial attachment phase was followed by a peak in structural heterogeneity at 14 days (Sq = 683.08 nm), eventually reaching a mature, confluent state at 21 days with a maximum thickness of ~8 μm. Energy-Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed an organic and mineral matrix consistent with bacterial biomass and whey components. These results demonstrate that cheese whey effectively supports the growth of G. sulfurreducens and the formation of structurally complex biofilms, highlighting its potential as a low-cost substrate for microbial cultivation and dairy waste valorization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilm: Formation, Control, and Applications, Second Edition)
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27 pages, 6727 KB  
Article
Estradiol-Induced Modulation of Clindamycin Susceptibility in Mono- and Dual-Species Biofilms of Lactobacillus gasseri and Cutibacterium acnes: An In Vitro Model Study
by Varvara P. Pavlova, Artem G. Chebotarevskii, Ecaterina V. Diuvenji, Nadezhda A. Loginova, Anna M. Mosolova, Aleksandra S. Novikova, Sergey V. Martyanov, Marina V. Sukhacheva, Alexander I. Netrusov and Andrei V. Gannesen
Microorganisms 2026, 14(6), 1173; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14061173 - 22 May 2026
Viewed by 486
Abstract
This pilot study investigated the effects of estradiol and clindamycin on mono- and dual-species biofilms of selected reference and clinical isolates of Lactobacillus gasseri and Cutibacterium acnes, including one vaginal isolate of C. acnes. Our findings demonstrate complex, strain-dependent effects of [...] Read more.
This pilot study investigated the effects of estradiol and clindamycin on mono- and dual-species biofilms of selected reference and clinical isolates of Lactobacillus gasseri and Cutibacterium acnes, including one vaginal isolate of C. acnes. Our findings demonstrate complex, strain-dependent effects of both compounds and their combinations. Estradiol inhibited biofilm formation in L. gasseri strains but exhibited divergent impacts on C. acnes isolates, stimulating the skin-derived strain while suppressing the vaginal isolate. The observation that pre-adsorbed estradiol tended to enhance its biological activity is consistent with, though does not prove, the hypothesis of a direct hormonal interaction with the bacterial cell envelope. Crucially, estradiol modulated the susceptibility of both species to clindamycin. At the working concentration selected, clindamycin susceptibility varied considerably between strains, with the antibiotic stimulating biofilm growth in skin-derived C. acnes HM514 biofilms. In dual-species communities, an apparent inversion of clindamycin activity was observed, suggesting that estradiol may alter antibiotic efficacy in a manner dependent on community composition and strain identity. Furthermore, while transcriptional changes in bacteriocin genes were evident under hormonal and antibiotic pressure, these shifts did not consistently correlate with observed phenotypic antagonistic activity. These results underscore the limitations of traditional mono-species assays and highlight the importance of considering hormonal background, community context, and the substantial phenotypic variability among individual microbial isolates when evaluating antimicrobial interventions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilm: Formation, Control, and Applications, Second Edition)
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