TY - JOUR AU - Donlan, Rodney M. T1 - Biofilms and Device-Associated Infections T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2001 VL - 7 IS - 2 SP - 277 SN - 1080-6059 AB - Microorganisms commonly attach to living and nonliving surfaces, including those of indwelling medical devices, and form biofilms made up of extracellular polymers. In this state, microorganisms are highly resistant to antimicrobial treatment and are tenaciously bound to the surface. To better understand and control biofilms on indwelling medical devices, researchers should develop reliable sampling and measurement techniques, investigate the role of biofilms in antimicrobial drug resistance, and establish the link between biofilm contamination and patient infection. KW - United States DO - 10.3201/eid0702.700277 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/7/2/70-0277_article ER - End of Reference