AUTHOR=Spengler Christian , Maikranz Erik , Santen Ludger , Jacobs Karin 

TITLE=Modeling Bacterial Adhesion to Unconditioned Abiotic Surfaces

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/mechanical-engineering/articles/10.3389/fmech.2021.661370

DOI=10.3389/fmech.2021.661370

ISSN=2297-3079

ABSTRACT=<p>Understanding bacterial adhesion as a first step toward biofilm formation is of fundamental interests in many applications. While adhesion to abiotic surfaces is directly relevant for some applications, it also provides a controlled reference setting to study details of the adhesion process in general. This review describes the traditional approaches from contact mechanics and colloidal science, which treat the bacterium–substratum interaction in a continuous manner. We will discuss its shortcomings and provide an introduction to different approaches, which understand the adhesion process as a result of individual stochastic interactions of many macromolecules with the substratum.</p>