Bacterial interactions

The review deals with specific features of interactions in microbial biocenoses. The subdivision of the mechanisms of microbial interactions in associations into direct and indirect ones is proposed. The formation of intercellular contacts and matrix belongs to one group of mechanisms, the second group includes the products of metabolism (changes in the physical and chemical composition of the medium, specific growth regulators) and secreted factors (antibacterial substances, pheromones and signal molecules, vitamins, specific mediators). The applied aspects of the knowledge of microbial interactions in the human body are presented.