Flow cytometry, a powerful novel tool to rapidly assess bacterial viability in metal working fluids: Proof-of-principle

Metalworking fluids (MWF) are water- or oil-based liquids to cool and lubricate tools, work pieces and machines, inhibit corrosion and remove swarf. One of the major problems in the MWF industry is bacterial growth as bacterial enzymes can cause MWF degradation. In addition, bacteria can form biofilms which hamper the functioning of machines. Last but not least, some bacterial by-products are toxic (e.g. endotoxins) and present potential health risks for metalworking machine operators via the formation of aerosols. Therefore, a novel fast yet accurate analytical method to evaluate and predict the antibacterial capacity of MWF would be an important asset. As such a tool is currently lacking, the present study aimed to develop a protocol based on flow cytometry (FCM) to assess the antibacterial potential of newly developed MWF independent of bacterial growth. Results of this novel method were compared to a biochallenge test currently used in MWF industry and also to traditional plate counts. Our results represent a proof-of-principle that FCM can reliably predict the antibacterial capacity of MWF already within one day of incubation with Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus mirabilis, being substantially faster than the current growth-based methods.