But it's only in recent years that it has become clear what a crucial role these undulating cities play in disease. Indeed, in the past decade, technical advances have transformed scientists' views of the microbial world. The National Institutes of Health has launched a new initiative to study biofilms. Words that hurt. This is especially true in the early stages of biofilm formation.
Word soon travels through the microbial community by way of chemical signals.
Once the population senses that it is large enough to form a city, signaling molecules made by the bacteria tell the cells to turn on genes that produce a slimy substance. The slime forms the society's architecture. It also protects the bacteria from immune cells, acts as an adhesive, and is filled with channels for transport of food and waste. In mature biofilm communities, there appears to be a division of labor. Some cells, for example, are actively involved in reproduction, while others are not.