Editing Slime layer (section)

== Research ==
Because of the abundance of so many bacteria that are increasing their resistance to antimicrobial agents such as antibiotics (these products inhibit cell growth or just kill the cell), there is new research coming out about new drugs that reduce virulence factors in some bacteria. Anti-virulent drugs reduce the pathogenic properties in bacteria, allowing the host to attack said bacteria, or allows antimicrobial agents to work.  ''Staphylococcus aureus'' is a pathogenic bacteria that causes several human infections with a plethora of virulence factors such as: biofilm formation, [[quorum sensing]], and exotoxins to name a few.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last1=Silva|first1=L. N.|last2=Da Hora|first2=G. C. A.|last3=Soares|first3=T. A.|last4=Bojer|first4=M. S.|last5=Ingmer|first5=H.|last6=Macedo|first6=A. J.|last7=Trentin|first7=D. S.|date=2017-06-06|title=Myricetin protects Galleria mellonella against Staphylococcus aureus infection and inhibits multiple virulence factors|journal=Scientific Reports|volume=7|issue=1|page=2823|doi=10.1038/s41598-017-02712-1|issn=2045-2322|pmc=5460262|pmid=28588273}}</ref> Researchers took a look at Myricetin (Myr) as a multi-anti-virulence agent against ''S.areus'' and how it specifically impacts biofilm formation. After regular dosing it was found that biofilm formation decreased and the number of adhered cells on their specified media decreased without killing the cells. Myr is promising when surfaces are coated in the material, non-coated surfaces show a thick biofilm formation with a large quantity of cellular adherence; the coated material showed minimal cell clusters that were weakly adhered.<ref name=":4" />

A problem with concrete structures is the damage they receive during weather shifts, because if its porous nature there is an amount of water that can expand or contract the concrete depending on the environment. This damage makes these structures susceptible to sulfate attacks. Sulfate attacks occur when the sulfates in the concrete react to other salts formed by other sulfate sources and cause internal erosion of the concrete. The extra exposure to these sulfate (SO<sub>4</sub>) ions can be caused by road salt getting splashed onto the structure, soils that are high in sulfates are also an issue for these concrete structures. Research has shown that some aerobic slime forming bacteria may be able to help repair and maintain concrete structures.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last1=Yang|first1=Keun-Hyeok|last2=Lim|first2=Hee-Seob|last3=Kwon|first3=Seung-Jun|date=2020-03-26|title=Effective Bio-Slime Coating Technique for Concrete Surfaces under Sulfate Attack|journal=Materials|volume=13|issue=7|page=1512|doi=10.3390/ma13071512|issn=1996-1944|pmc=7178037|pmid=32224898|doi-access=free }}</ref> These bacteria act as a diffusion barrier from the external sulfates to the concrete. Researchers found that the thicker the layer the more effective it was, seeing almost a linear increase for the number of service years applicable to the concrete structure as the layer thickness increased. For long term repair of the structure, 60mm thickness of the slime layer should be used to ensure the longevity of the concrete structure, and to ensure the proper diffusion of sulfate ions.<ref name=":5" />
<br />{{Bacteria}}