Quorum sensing and microbial biofilms

Abstract

Some bacterial species engage in two well-documented social behaviors: the formation of surface-associated communities known as biofilms, and intercellular signaling, or quorum sensing. Recent studies have begun to reveal how these two social behaviors are related in different species. This chapter will review the role quorum sensing plays in biofilm formation for different species. In addition, different aspects of quorum sensing in the context of multispecies biofilms will be discussed. © 2008 Springer-Verlag.