Evaluating the Effects of Disinfectants on Bacterial Biofilms Using a Microfluidics Flow Cell and Time-Lapse Fluorescence Microscopy

A commercially available microfluidics flow cell was utilized together with widefield fluorescence microscopy to evaluate the effects of disinfectants on bacterial strains. The flow cell’s inner surface supports the formation of biofilms of numerous bacterial species. The modular setup of the flow cell accessories allows connection to syringes, pumps and collection vials, facilitating aseptic experiments in a controlled fluidics environment which can be documented with precisely timed microscopy imaging. The flow cell is inoculated with a suspension of bacteria in a nutrient medium and incubated for several days allowing bacterial cells to form a biofilm. Shortly before performing an assay, the biofilm is labelled with a dual-fluorescent DNA probe which distinguishes unharmed and damaged bacteria. Then a disinfectant sample (or control) is gently injected and time-lapse imaging is used for quantifying the course of bacterial biomass response. We use a simplified widefield microscopy method that allows intensive recording and quantification of time series of two-dimensional frames for tracking the course of disinfectant action on a variety of microbial strains. This procedure has potential for the rapid evaluation of novel products.