**1. Introduction**

70 The Complex World of Polysaccharides

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One of the most complex topics within bacterial anatomy and physiology is that of exopolysaccharides. These molecules have various structures and functions and also provide different types of advantages to their producing microorganisms, including surface variability, resistance to innate and acquired immunity mechanisms, the ability to adhere to different surface and cell types and resistance to antibiotic activity.

These bacterial systems are closely linked to the different genera and species that contain them. The organisation and expression of the genes that code for these external structures, genetic expression mechanisms and biosynthesis routes are extremely heterogeneous.

Although numerous classic microbial physiology and biochemical studies have focused on analysis of the external structures of microorganisms, not until recently has the study of exopolysaccharides become important, due to the role of exopolysaccharides in bacterial pathogenicity and the ecology of microbial populations and their possible role in the colonisation, residence and adaptation mechanisms in various ecosystems. Among the most important exopolysaccharides are those described below.
