Colonization, Cultivation and Visualization of Bacteria on Topographic Surfaces under Zero-Shear Conditions
Laura Sullivan-Green1, Charles H. Dowding2, Martina Hausner3
1Laura Sullivan-Green, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, USA
2Charles H. Dowding, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
3Martina Hausner, Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada
Manuscript received on September 11, 2013. | Revised Manuscript received on September 15, 2013. | Manuscript published on September 25, 2013. | PP: 52-59 | Volume-1, Issue-11, September 2013. | Retrieval Number: K04590911113/2013©BEIESP
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© The Authors. Published By: Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: This research established visualization and growth methods that were initially developed for smooth, nonporous materials for application to rough, porous materials for the purpose of evaluating sparse biofilms. The basic concept of using fluorochromes and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) to visualize and quantify biota established using smooth surfaces has been extended to topographic surfaces by using additional analyses described herein. The study established that rough, opaque, porous surfaces like mortar colonized with biota can be visualized using CLSM and topographic relief of rough surfaces can be identified by collecting light reflected off the material surface. Volumes of biomass per unit area of surface can be established using optical sectioning to generate image stacks and simple stochastic modeling. Thus, growth accumulation on rough surfaces can be visualized and measured.
Keywords: Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy, Crack Dating, Forensic Engineering, Infrastructure Health