Detection of Micrococcus Luteus Biofilm Formation in Microfluidic Environments by pH Measurement Using an Ion-Sensitive Field-Effect Transistor

Sensors

Koji Matsuura²  Yuka Asano²  Akira Yamada¹ 

[1] Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hiroshima Institute of Technology, 2-1-1 Miyake, Saeki-ku, Hiroshima 731-5193, Japan; E-Mail:;Research Core for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Okayama University, 3-1-1 Tsushima-naka, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan; E-Mail:

关键词: ion-sensing field-effect transistor;    Micrococcus luteus biofilm;    alkalinization;    microfluidic channel;   

DOI  :  10.3390/s130202484

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Biofilm formation in microfluidic channels is difficult to detect because sampling volumes are too small for conventional turbidity measurements. To detect biofilm formation, we used an ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (ISFET) measurement system to measure pH changes in small volumes of bacterial suspension. Cells of Micrococcus luteus (M. luteus) were cultured in polystyrene (PS) microtubes and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)-based microfluidic channels laminated with polyvinylidene chloride. In microtubes, concentrations of bacteria and pH in the suspension were analyzed by measuring turbidity and using an ISFET sensor, respectively. In microfluidic channels containing 20 μL of bacterial suspension, we measured pH changes using the ISFET sensor and monitored biofilm formation using a microscope. We detected acidification and alkalinization phases of M. luteus from the ISFET sensor signals in both microtubes and microfluidic channels. In the alkalinization phase, after 2 day culture, dense biofilm formation was observed at the bottom of the microfluidic channels. In this study, we used an ISFET sensor to detect biofilm formation in clinical and industrial microfluidic environments by detecting alkalinization of the culture medium.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.