Fig. 1

Processes (stages) of biofilm formation (Breyers and Ratner 2004). 1 Reversible attachment of bacterial cells to pre-conditioned surface (biotic or abiotic) immersed in aqueous medium (Prakash et al. 2003; Ghannoum and O’Toole 2004). 2–4 Cells attach irreversibly, forming microcolonies, a step mediated mainly by the production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and the cells lose their flagella-driven motility (O’Toole et al. 2000; Kumar and Prasad 2006). 5–8 Maturation of biofilms, the process whereby biofilm cells communicate through the exchange of genetic materials and other processes taking place during biofilm growth and development (An et al. 2000; Rachid et al. 2000). 9 Dispersion or detachment stage during which single motile cells disperse from the microcolonies; the detachment process can be through erosion or sloughing (Dunne 2002; Li et al. 2007)