Techniques to Assess Phage–Biofilm Interaction

Abstract

Biofilms are ubiquitous in nature found on nearly every type of living and inert surface. They basically consist of microorganisms attached to surfaces and surrounded by a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances. Phages have proven to be successful in controlling biofilms. Here, we describe methods to characterize phage–biofilm interactions, specifically to assess biofilm biomass and to visualize the biofilm structure, discriminating infected cells using targeted molecular probes.