Developing reliable anti-biofilm strategies or efficient biofilm-based bioprocesses strongly depends on having a clear understanding of the mechanisms underlying biofilm development, and knowledge of the relevant mechanical parameters describing microbial biofilm behavior. Many varied mechanical testing methods are available to assess these parameters. The mechanical properties thus identified can then be used to compare protocols such as antibiotic screening. However, the lack of standardization in both mechanical testing and the associated identification methods for a given microbiological goal remains a blind spot in the biofilm community. The pursuit of standardization is problematic, as biofilms are living structures, i.e., both complex and dynamic. Here, we review the main available methods for characterizing the mechanical properties of biofilms through the lens of the relationship linking experimental testing to the identification of mechanical parameters. We propose guidelines for characterizing biofilms according to microbiological objectives that will help the reader choose an appropriate test and a relevant identification method for measuring any given mechanical parameter. The use of a common methodology for the mechanical characterization of biofilms will enable reliable analysis and comparison of microbiological protocols needed for improvement of engineering process and screening.

开发可靠的抗生物膜策略或有效的基于生物膜的生物过程在很大程度上取决于对生物膜形成的机制有清晰的了解，以及对描述微生物生物膜行为的相关机械参数的了解。许多不同的机械测试方法可用于评估这些参数。这样鉴定出的机械性能然后可以用于比较方案，例如抗生素筛选。但是，对于给定的微生物目标，机械测试和相关的鉴定方法均缺乏标准化，这仍然是生物膜界的盲点。追求标准化是有问题的，因为生物膜是活的结构，即既复杂又动态。这里，我们回顾了通过将实验测试与机械参数识别联系起来的关系来表征生物膜机械性能的主要可用方法。我们提出了根据微生物学目标来表征生物膜的准则，这将有助于读者选择合适的测试以及用于测量任何给定机械参数的相关识别方法。对生物膜进行机械表征的通用方法的使用将使可靠的分析和比较改进工程流程和筛选所需的微生物学方案成为可能。我们提出了根据微生物学目标来表征生物膜的准则，这将有助于读者选择合适的测试以及用于测量任何给定机械参数的相关识别方法。对生物膜进行机械表征的通用方法的使用将使可靠的分析和比较改进工程流程和筛选所需的微生物学方案成为可能。我们提出了根据微生物学目标来表征生物膜的准则，这将有助于读者选择合适的测试以及用于测量任何给定机械参数的相关识别方法。对生物膜进行机械表征的通用方法的使用将使可靠的分析和比较改进工程流程和筛选所需的微生物学方案成为可能。