Galleries | Biology | Bacteria

Pseudomonas aeruginosa Bacterium

Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterium adhered to a hydrophobic self-assembled monolayer
(1-dodecanethiol on gold). The bacterium excretes a viscous substance, generally termed biofilm,
which anchors the cell to a substrate and confers resistance to physical disruption
and antimicrobial treatment. Topography image, 7.7µm scan.

Sample courtesy of S. Deupree and M. Schoenfisch, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill.