The biofilm paradigm: A milestone, not the destination
Biofilms have profoundly shaped our understanding of chronic infection, yet their explanatory reach is limited. This commentary argues that chronicity emerges from a host-pathogen partnership, where host-derived structural, metabolic, immune, and systemic constraints define persistence, tolerance, and treatment responses beyond microbial architecture alone.
Authors
- Thomas Bjarnsholt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8003-7414)
- Phil Stewart
- Claus Lex
Institutions
- University of Copenhagen (DK)
- Montana State University (US)
- Copenhagen University Hospital (DK)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Cell Reports
- Published
- 2026-02-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2026.117014
- Primary Topic
- Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00