Acceptable use information

The images in the CBE Image Library are provided for educational use only, and may not be used for commercial purposes. Acceptable uses are described below.

What's OK: If you register with the CBE web site, you may use the images 1) in a presentation, 2) on a research poster (one print only, of any one image), 3) in a print thesis or dissertation, or 4) in a science/engineering proposal to a granting agency. Please include credit information for the Montana State University Center for Biofilm Engineering with each image you use from this image library.

What's NOT OK: To download any of the CBE graphics for posting/publishing on your web site or for commercial purposes.

Express written permission from the CBE is required, to submit any of these images for print reproduction in textbooks, magazines, and journal articles. An image usage fee may apply. These images are copyright 1991-2010, by the Center for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717-3980. All rights reserved.
Contact: Print Permissions Fax:406-994-6098.

How to acquire images

After clicking on the thumbnail of an image, follow the "Image Usage Information" instructions shown below the enlarged graphic.

Images

Image Name
Sites of primary and secondary infection	Three examples of the many possible points of entry for bacteria are shown here, along with common areas of secondary infection (highlighted in green). Common sites of primary infection are the mouth (through bleeding gums), catheter entries (such as the subvenous catheter), and implanted medical devices (such as an artificial hip joint). Once bacteria enter the circulatory system, they can reach all parts of the body. The most common sites of secondary bacterial infection include: the brain, the kidneys, intervertebral spaces, and the bones around an implanted medical device.
Alveoli: Normal activity	In addition to oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange, the human lungs are effective "scrubbers"—eliminating inhaled microbes. In the tiny alveoli sacs of the lung, single microbes are quickly ingested by activated neutrophils.
Alveoli: Biofilms escape neutrophils	When the immune response is compromised, bacteria are able to colonize the alveoli, and to form biofilms. Biofilms do not trigger the neutrophils to become activated, even in the presence of antibodies (yellow symbols). When biofilm cells are released from the community singly, they are readily “recognized” and ingested by neutrophils.
Alveoli: Compromised neutrophils	Studies of neutrophil/biofilm interactions in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms have shown that neutrophils retain their basic un-activated round shape—becoming only minimally active—and settle into the biofilms, releasing a “cloud” of single cells. A well-established biofilm will grow thicker over time, and may calcify (white areas), rendering the alveolus inactive.
Toxic shock syndrome	Microbes that colonize vaginal tissue and tampon fibers can become pathogenic when they develop into biofilms, causing inflammation and diseases such as Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS).
Dental inflammation	Several hundred microbial species typically colonize the human mouth. This biofilm is what we commonly call dental plaque. Many of the bacterial species are harmless, but some are pathogenic and can cause infection, tooth decay, and gum disease.
Antibiofilm strategy: Dental signal	Schematic diagram illustrating a proposed strategy to inhibit dental caries. Attachment blockers and detachment signals would be used to prevent cells of periodontal pathogens, such as Fusobacterium nucleatum, from joing the biofilm on teeth. Dental caries are widely recognized to be the result of bacterial infection.