subject: What is Biofilm and How It Impacts You [print this page] What is Biofilm and How It Impacts You What is Biofilm and How It Impacts You
I recently became aware of what is biofilm and how it impacts you. It was purely by accident which I must admit is how I learn about a lot of things. Ignorance is bliss but there are just some things we need to be aware of and this is one of them. Especially since this stuff not only lives in our homes but also in our bodies.
Working online affords me the opportunity to meet some really amazing people. Recently I met a lady that is much older than me but in much better shape. I enjoy hearing their experiences, what they have learned, how they have lived their lives, just overall getting to know someone. During one of our conversations she brought up the term biofilm. I didn't have a clue what that was let alone how it impacted me.
My friends call me annoyingly organized which they also seem to think that cleanliness goes hand in hand with that. I will be the first to admit that I hate cleaning the house as well as other household chores. But once I learned that biofilm lives on surfaces in my home, you can bet I am more aware of my surroundings now.
If you were to head over to Wikipedia and read about biofilm, you probably will come away more confused than ever. That is why I prefer explaining things in simple terms. It is a protective slime that is excreted by bacteria that has come together to form a community. When individual free-floating bacteria attach themselves to some material, biofilm is formed. Once they become anchored to this material, a slimy, glue-like substance is now produced. They live in this while continuing to help other bacteria grow.
Biofilm can grow on a variety of living and nonliving surfaces such as submerged rocks, food, teeth (hence the word plaque), biomedical implants such as knee and hip replacements or in human tissue that is damaged by wounds.
The disgusting part to this slimy glue-like substance is that once they produce they then shed free-floating bacteria that is easily transported to new locations and if that new location is human, the results become infections. I was not aware that up to 80% of infections in humans are biofilm related. And, it's present in 65% of infections that are acquired in the hospital. This stuff has been linked to everything from gum disease to cystic fibrosis and even the nagging ear infections that are so common in children.
This stuff is very difficult to get rid of because of the way they attach themselves to the bacteria. Most antibiotics are often ineffective which is why some wounds have a hard time healing. The main problem is that they don't show up when tested.
To sum this all up, biofilm is one nasty substance and something no one should have to live with. Up until now, it was extremely hard to fight unless you had high industrial products or a spotless and clean environment. What is biofilm and how it impacts you is something everyone should wake up to and now there is a way to fight back. Fear not because there is an end in sight!
