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Biology

Mechanisms of Antibiotic Resistance in Bacterial Biofilms

Quick fact

A single biofilm can contain billions of bacteria, and they are so resilient that they can withstand antibiotic concentrations 10–1000 times higher than those needed to kill free-floating bacteria of the same species.

Why this is interesting

We often think of bacteria as solitary swimmers, but in your body they prefer to build sticky cities that are up to 1,000 times more resistant to antibiotics. Why do these microscopic metropolises shrug off drugs that kill their free-floating cousins?