Genetic diversification within pneumococcal biofilms

Biofilms are complex aggregations of bacteria, adhered to a surface and may play a vital role in colonization and persistence of human pathogens. The aim of this study was to increase our understanding of the level of genetic diversification that can arise when strains of the human pathogen, Streptococcus pneumoniae, are grown under biofilm conditions. Using colony morphology variance as a marker for for genetic variation, we sequenced the genomes of biofilm-derived variants and related the changes to their phenotypic characteristics.