Definition of Term

adhesion

(English) The uniting of two surfaces or structures which should normally be apart, e.g. visceral organs attached to the abdominal wall, the result of acute or chronic inflammation. As used in microbiology, in nature, microorganisms often bind specifically or non-specifically to a substratum or to other cells; in some cases adhesion is known to be mediated by specialized microbial components or structures. Free-living microorganisms in aquatic habitats often adhere to submerged surfaces on e.g., particles of debris, other organisms, or man-made structures sometimes forming biofilms.

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