The ability of microorganisms to grow as aggregated assemblages has been known for many years, however their structure has remained largely unexplored across multiple spatial scales. The development of the Mesolens, an optical system which uniquely allows simultaneous imaging of individual bacteria over a 36 mm² field of view, has enabled the study of mature Escherichia coli macro-colony biofilm architecture like never before. The Mesolens enabled the discovery of intra-colony channels on the order of 10 μm in diameter, that are integral to E. coli macro-colony biofilms and form as an emergent property of biofilm growth. These channels have a characteristic structure and re-form after total mechanical disaggregation of the colony. We demonstrate that the channels are able to transport particles and play a role in the acquisition of and distribution of nutrients through the biofilm. These channels potentially offer a new route for the delivery of dispersal agents for antimicrobial drugs to biofilms, ultimately lowering their impact on public health and industry.

多年来，人们已经知道微生物以聚集体的形式生长的能力，但是，在多个空间尺度上，微生物的结构仍未得到充分探索。Mesolens是一种光学系统的开发，该光学系统独特地允许同时在36 mm ^2的视野内对单个细菌进行成像，从而使研究前所未有的成熟的大肠杆菌大肠菌群生物膜结构成为可能。Mesolens能够发现直径为10μm的菌落内部通道，这些通道是大肠杆菌必不可少的大型菌落生物膜的形成是生物膜生长的一种新兴特性。这些通道具有特征性的结构，并在菌落完全机械分解后重新形成。我们证明通道能够运输颗粒，并通过生物膜在营养的获取和分布中发挥作用。这些渠道可能为将抗菌药物分散剂输送到生物膜提供一条新途径，从而最终降低其对公共卫生和工业的影响。