Transcriptional profiling of Klebsiella pneumoniae defines signatures for planktonic, sessile and biofilm-dispersed cells

Background Surface-associated communities of bacteria, known as biofilms, play a critical role in the persistence and dissemination of bacteria in various environments. Biofilm development is a sequential dynamic process from an initial bacterial adhesion to a three-dimensional structure formation, and a subsequent bacterial dispersion. Transitions between these different modes of growth are governed by complex and partially known molecular pathways.