Characterizing Bacteria Adhesion to Substrate and Early Biofi lm Formation Using Atomic Force Microscopy: A Review

Abstract

Bacterial adherence has received continued interest, as it is the most important and crucial step in the development of a biofi lm. Bacterial interactions with various surfaces are characterized by examining their morphology and physico-chemical parameters. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is an attractive tool that not only provides high-resolution images at nanometric range but also provides information on the interaction forces. AFM with functionalized probes can be used to measure interaction forces as small as a few picoNewtons. This review describes the aspects of initial biofi lm formation i.e., bacterial adhesion and how AFM can be used to study the interaction forces.