The biofilm is composed of a cluster of microorganisms that adhere to a surface, proliferate and secrete a protective matrix. Then, this layer is traps bacteria and other nutrients food and provides a reservoir for bacteria but also a protection against various aggressions. Bacteria will also be able to detach from the biofilm and thus to colonize new surfaces.

How to limit its forming?

To limit the biofilm’s formation which becomes more and more resistant over time, it is imperative to organize a cleaning and disinfection’s plan of the premises’ surfaces. This plan should provide regular schedules of the operations to avoid the long-lasting settling of the microorganisms and their proliferation.

The stages to respect in order to limit biofilms’ formation or to remove them :

It is highly recommended to clean the surfaces before the disinfection’s process rather than making these two operations at the same time. Each one has indeed a defined role:

- the cleaning will remove the organic, mineral and microbial stains.

- the disinfection will wipe out or inactivate, thanks to a disinfectant, the microorganisms which haven’t been destroyed by the cleaning stage. The APABIO product marketed by IBL Specifik is a very efficient product to wipe out the biofilms.

The Anses (French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety) advises also to take some measures to limit the microbial’s concentration. Among these measures, you have :

- the design of premises and equipments which follow the hygienic’s conceptions’ rules,

- the choice of materials that stands up to wear and easy to clean and disinfect,

-  the regular replacement (as soon as they are damaged) of the fragile materials,

- the water supply’s minimization, as it favour the microbial’s growth and could be a carrier of contamination.

What are the favourable places for biofilm’s development?

In principle biofilm can settle on a large kind of surfaces (except the copper which is toxic) but it will manage to develop only if it is not threatened by regular and efficient hygienic’s measures. Thus it generally proliferates especially in the places that are hardly accessible to cleaning and disinfection.

Source : The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (Anses) : www.anses.fr

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