Microbes have evolved sophisticated strategies to colonize biotic and abiotic surfaces. Forces play a central role in microbial cell adhesion processes, yet until recently these were not accessible to study at the molecular scale. Unlike traditional assays, atomic force microscopy (AFM) is capable to study forces in single cell surface molecules and appendages, in their biologically-relevant conformation and environment. Recent AFM investigations have demonstrated that bacterial pili exhibit a variety of mechanical responses upon contact with surfaces and that cell surface adhesion proteins behave as force-sensitive switches, two phenomena that play critical roles in cell adhesion and biofilm formation. AFM has also enabled to assess the efficiency of sugars, peptides and antibodies in blocking cell adhesion, opening up new avenues for the development of antiadhesion therapies against pathogens.

微生物已经进化出复杂的策略来定殖生物和非生物表面。力在微生物细胞粘附过程中起着核心作用，但是直到最近，这些作用仍无法在分子水平上进行研究。与传统的分析方法不同，原子力显微镜（AFM）能够研究单细胞表面分子和附肢中与生物学相关的构象和环境中的力。最近的AFM研究表明，细菌菌毛在与表面接触后会表现出多种机械响应，并且细胞表面粘附蛋白的作用类似于力敏感开关，这是两种在细胞粘附和生物膜形成中起关键作用的现象。原子力显微镜还能够评估糖，肽和抗体在阻止细胞粘附方面的效率，