ABSTRACT
Perhaps we can say that microbiology began in the late 17th century through the curiosity of Antony van Leeuwenhoek, who was the first to describe accurately the creatures of the “invisible world” we now recognize as bacteria and eukaryotic microbes. In the earlier era of the study of microbes, the growth of bacteria and their study were predicated on the concept that bacteria are free-living, planktonic cells. This view dominated the study of bacteria for decades [1–3]. But by the 1970s, the concept of biofilms, which have multiple definitions, became known. They generally refer to communities of microbes (prokaryotic and eukaryotic) that adhere to a surface to form a slimy coat and are enclosed in an extracellular polysaccharide matrix [3–5]. A structured community of bacterial cells that attach to surfaces aggregates in a hydrated polymeric matrix of their own synthesis to form biofilms. Biofilms constitute a protected mode of growth that allows survival in a hostile environment leading to their inherent resistance to antimicrobial agents and host immune responses, which are at the root of many persistent and chronic bacterial infections [6]. In both the healthcare and the food industry, the number of bacterial infections and noninfectious complications are rising due to the bacterial biofilms formation and the subsequent failure of many medical devices [7].
