Issue 24, 2016

Through thick and thin: a microfluidic approach for continuous measurements of biofilm viscosity and the effect of ionic strength

Abstract

Continuous, non-intrusive measurements of time-varying viscosity of Pseudomonas sp. biofilms are made using a microfluidic method that combines video tracking with a semi-empirical viscous flow model. The approach uses measured velocity and height of tracked biofilm segments, which move under the constant laminar flow of a nutrient solution. Following a low viscosity growth stage, rapid thickening was observed. During this stage, viscosity increased by over an order of magnitude in less than ten hours. The technique was also demonstrated as a promising platform for parallel experiments by subjecting multiple biofilm-laden microchannels to nutrient solutions containing NaCl in the range of 0 to 34 mM. Preliminary data suggest a strong relationship between ionic strength and biofilm properties, such as average viscosity and rapid thickening onset time. The technique opens the way for a combinatorial approach to study the response of biofilm viscosity under well-controlled physical, chemical and biological growth conditions.

Graphical abstract: Through thick and thin: a microfluidic approach for continuous measurements of biofilm viscosity and the effect of ionic strength

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
01 Sep 2016
Accepted
27 Oct 2016
First published
28 Oct 2016

Lab Chip, 2016,16, 4710-4717

Through thick and thin: a microfluidic approach for continuous measurements of biofilm viscosity and the effect of ionic strength

F. Paquet-Mercier, M. Parvinzadeh Gashti, J. Bellavance, S. M. Taghavi and J. Greener, Lab Chip, 2016, 16, 4710 DOI: 10.1039/C6LC01101B

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