It turns out that a vast number of the pathogens we harbor are grouped into communities called biofilms. In an article titled “Bacterial Biofilms: A Common Cause of Persistent Infections,” JW Costerton at the Center for Biofilm Engineering in Montana defines a bacterial biofilm as “a structured community of bacterial cells enclosed in a self-produced polymeric matrix and adherent to an inert or living surface.”[1] In layman’s terms, that means that bacteria can join together on essentially any surface and start to form a protective matrix around their group. The matrix is made of polymers – substances composed of molecules with repeating structural units that are connected by chemical bonds.