|
Extracellular Polymeric Substance
This
SEM micrograph shows an Extracellular
Polymeric Substance (EPS). A bacterial biofilm is held together by a
material excreted by the bacteria known as Extracellular Polymeric
Substance (EPS). This photograph shows a nice view of an EPS matrix
holding a colony of Cocci bacteria together. The EPS has developed to
the degree that it is completely encapsulating many of the individual
bacterium. The colony has developed to the point that it is many levels
deep. The crack in the center of the photograph is likely due to the
sample preparation used in creating the micrograph. It serves, however,
to show detail of the interior of the biofilm. It is easy to see that
this EPS encapsulation leads to the colony being more resistant to
antimicrobial and antibiotic treatments. |