The article reviews the survival strategies of infectious biofilms, emphasizing the role of the biofilm matrix and the physiology of embedded cells. Biofilms are difficult to detect and are tolerant to host defenses and antibiotics, facilitating the spread of antibiotic resistance. The heterogeneity in metabolic and reproductive activity within biofilms leads to non-uniform susceptibility of enclosed bacteria. Nutritional starvation and high cell density, key characteristics of biofilm physiology, mediate antimicrobial tolerance in stationary-phase planktonic cultures. Advances in understanding stress response genes, quorum sensing, and phase variation have shed light on tolerance mechanisms within biofilm communities. The article also discusses the impact of growth conditions on antibiotic susceptibility, bacterial adaptations to stress and damage, and the role of genomics and proteomics in uncovering biofilm-specific phenotypes. Finally, it highlights the importance of combined treatments for biofilm eradication and the potential of 'antipathogenic' drugs to modulate bacterial signaling and effector gene expression.The article reviews the survival strategies of infectious biofilms, emphasizing the role of the biofilm matrix and the physiology of embedded cells. Biofilms are difficult to detect and are tolerant to host defenses and antibiotics, facilitating the spread of antibiotic resistance. The heterogeneity in metabolic and reproductive activity within biofilms leads to non-uniform susceptibility of enclosed bacteria. Nutritional starvation and high cell density, key characteristics of biofilm physiology, mediate antimicrobial tolerance in stationary-phase planktonic cultures. Advances in understanding stress response genes, quorum sensing, and phase variation have shed light on tolerance mechanisms within biofilm communities. The article also discusses the impact of growth conditions on antibiotic susceptibility, bacterial adaptations to stress and damage, and the role of genomics and proteomics in uncovering biofilm-specific phenotypes. Finally, it highlights the importance of combined treatments for biofilm eradication and the potential of 'antipathogenic' drugs to modulate bacterial signaling and effector gene expression.