Macrophages colonized by Vibrio cholerae

The cholera-pathogen Vibrio cholerae (blue) forms an aggressive biofilm on the surface of immune cells (red).
Bacteria harness the power of communities. Prof. Knut Drescher's research group at the Biozentrum, University of Basel, has now discovered that the bacterial pathogen that causes cholera forms a novel type of bacterial community on immune cells: an aggressive biofilm that is lethal for the cells.