Microorganisms have evolved to thrive in virtually any terrestrial and marine environment,
exposing them to various mechanical cues mainly generated by fluid flow and pressure as …

In the wild, bacteria are predominantly associated with surfaces as opposed to existing as
free-swimming, isolated organisms. They are thus subject to surface-specific mechanics …

Whether bacteria are in the planktonic state, free-swimming or free-floating in liquid, or in the
biofilm state, sessile on surfaces, they are always subject to mechanical forces. The long …

Highlights•In the wild, bacteria experience frequent changes in mechanical forces.•
Mechanotransduction allows bacteria to sense and respond to these changes.• …

Microbes can modify their surface structure as an adaptive mechanism for survival and
dissemination in the environment or inside the host. Altering their ability to respond to …

Biofilms are structured communities formed by a single or multiple microbial species. Within
biofilms, bacteria are embedded into extracellular matrix, allowing them to build …

Biofilms are developmentally-dynamic communities of sessile microbes that adhere to each
other and, often, to other structures in their environment. The cohesive mechanical forces …

During chronic infections and in microbiota, bacteria predominantly colonize their hosts as
multicellular structures called biofilms. A common assumption is that biofilms exclusively …

Microbial adaptation to environmental stimuli is essential for survival. While several of these
stimuli have been studied in detail, recent studies have demonstrated an important role for a …

Surface-associated lifestyles dominate in the bacterial world. Large multicellular assemblies,
called biofilms, are essential to the survival of bacteria in harsh environments and are …