Abstract

Biofilms, surface‐attached communities of bacterial cells, are a concern in health and in industrial operations because of persistent infections, clogging of flows, and surface fouling. In this talk, I will discuss about our recent progress in using Vibrio cholerae as a model biofilm former to reveal the mechanical principles behind biofilm formation, both at the single cell level and at the continuum level. I will first present a new methodology to image living, growing bacterial biofilms at single-cell resolution, and demonstrate how cell-to-surface adhesion and growth-induced flow together drive a collective cell reorientation cascade in V. cholerae biofilms. Next, I will demonstrate how external confinement profoundly changes the morphogenesis pathway and cellular organization inside a biofilm. Finally, I will delve into the molecular mechanisms underlying V. cholerae adhesion and biofilm development.