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BBiofilms and the human body

Biofilms ? Surface cities of microbes — plaque and catheters explain persistence, without a grow-your-own kit.

Mouth and skin already run films. Trouble starts when architecture meets sugar, a broken barrier or a plastic tube.

Device-related bloodstream infections are a hospital quality metric because films love lumens.

Body interfaces

Everyday

Dental plaque

Sugar and time shift a mixed film toward cavities and gum inflammation.

Device

Urinary catheter

A tube gives a highway from the outside world into the bladder.

Device

Joint implant

A film on hardware can cause pain and loosening months after surgery.

Chronic

Cystic fibrosis lungs

Thick mucus can host persistent communities; care is specialized and clinical.

Home

Contact lenses

Poor case hygiene can let films ride onto the cornea.

Environment

Industrial pipes

Fouling and corrosion cost money; the same ecology appears in showers.

Whether to remove hardware belongs to clinicians, not this page.

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