An international team of researchers has identified a previously unknown mechanism that allows bacteria to break free from biofilms, the structures that shelter them from antibiotics and the immune system. The discovery, made in a model bacterium, has also made it possible to trigger the disintegration of these communities in the laboratory without using drugs, an advance that could inspire future strategies to tackle persistent infections.
The study, published in 'Nature Microbiology', is led by scientists at the University of California San Diego and involves researchers from Pompeu Fabra University (UPF). The paper describes how certain bacteria produce a hydrogel that, as it absorbs water, builds up enough pressure to expel cells from inside the biofilm.
