Book excerpt: "There is a growing demand for investigation of biofilm mechanisms in detail for the purpose of controlling diseases as well as for harnessing their potential for industrial biotechnology applications. Although biofilms have greater roles in disease biology and offer better yields than suspended cells in bioprocesses, little emphasis has placed on biofilms in several universities' curricula. This book aims to provide a basic understanding about biofilm formation, factors influencing biofilm formations, and engineering strategies for improving or inhibiting the growth of biofilms. This book will serve as course material for the undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty who are interested in offering a course on biofilm engineering. This book covers techniques that are relevant to biofilm characterization, which will be helpful for the researchers to gain basic understanding about the subject"--