Finishes for protection against microbial, insect and UV radiation

Asim Kumar Roy Choudhury , in Principles of Textile Finishing, 2017

11.16.1 Agar diffusion plate test

The bacterial species Due south. aureus (Gram-positive) and Yard. pneumonia (Gram-negative) are recommended in most test methods. These two species are potentially pathogenic and therefore require proper concrete containment facilities for handling (e.1000., a biosafety cabinet). Many studies have used the innocuous East. coli (Gram-negative) every bit a test microorganism which can exist cultured and handled in a standard laboratory with minimal health gamble.

A nutrient gel containing a microorganism is poured onto a plate and, when set, a piece of the fabric nether examination is put on the surface of the gel. The whole plate is and so incubated nether conditions ideal for microbial growth; that is, 18–24   h at 37°C (for bacteria); 3–14 days at 28°C (for fungi) or up to four weeks (PVC-coated fabrics). The samples can as well exist tested with a nutrient-complimentary agar to come across if they are a feasible carbon source. After full incubation, the samples are assessed either by visual comparison of the uninhibited growth of the microorganism in the dish and the growth on, or in contact with, the fabric. Cess can also be done by testing the loss of performance in terms of tensile strength or weight loss if this type of assessment is relevant to the materials being tested. In that location may be a reduction in growth or a complete absenteeism of growth on the sample. There may also be a zone of inhibition or 'halo' around the sample where the biocide has diffused into the gel and prevented the microorganisms from developing. Large zones of inhibition are not desirable; they indicate that either the material has been overloaded with biocide or that the biocide is diffusing rapidly and easily into the gel, indicating poor durability of cease (Fig. 11.15).

Fig. eleven.fifteen. Agar plate test for antimicrobial finished fabric.

Highlights of agar plate exam are:

The method is relatively quick and tin can exist used for testing with bacteria or fungi, or mixed spores. The exam can apply single bacteria or fungi or mixed cultures.

A wide range of textiles, both coated and noncoated and cellulosic and noncellulosic, can exist tested.

The method can be modified to cope with different materials, such as samples with depression diffusion rates (eastward.g., plastics, textiles treated with hydrophobic chemicals) that can be held on the agar for 24   h prior to incubation to allow biocide to lengthened out.

The disadvantage is that the size of the halo may be due to the high efficiency of the biocide or, more than usually, due to the loftier charge per unit of diffusion.

Accuracy is good (average of four samples); variation of more than 1   mm in halo size is meaning. Ratings of growth on sample can be less accurate.

If the improvidence rate of biocide from textile is very low, the sample on the plate may exist hold at 5°C for 24   h prior to incubation.

To cope with possible variations, samples should exist tested at least in quadruplicate with controls to check the viability of the organism.

Fig. 11.15 shows an agar plate containing bacteria where three small material samples are placed: one is an unfinished control sample and two are antimicrobial-finished fabrics. The light-coloured spot at the elevation indicates command unfinished fabric, and two light-coloured spots at the lesser represent two finished fabrics. The control sample does not bear witness any halo or corona. Merely the areas surrounding the two finished fabrics shows halos or coronas, the killing zones where biocides have migrated and killed bacteria. These areas can be calculated and taken a measure out for antimicrobial effects.

Read full affiliate

URL:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780081006467000114

Definitions and Assessment of (Bio)degradation

Michael Niaounakis , in Biopolymers Reuse, Recycling, and Disposal, 2013

two.five.11 Clear-Zone Formation

This is an agar plate exam in which the polymer is dispersed as very fine particles within the synthetic medium agar. This results in the agar having an opaque appearance. Later on inoculation with microorganisms, the formation of a clear halo effectually the colony indicates that the microorganisms are at least able to depolymerize the polymer, which is the first stride of biodegradation. The method is usually applied to screen microorganisms that tin degrade a certain polymer, just it can also be used to obtain semi-quantitative results by analyzing the growth of clear zones [29].

Read full chapter

URL:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9781455731459000026

Routine Bacteriological Examination of Specimens

F.J. Bakery F.I.K.50.Due south., F.I.Due south.T. , R.Eastward. SILVERTON F.I.M.L.South., 50.I.Biol. , in Introduction to Medical Laboratory Technology (5th Edition), 1976

METHOD

1.

Alluvion the agar plates with i 10 dilution of overnight culture of Oxford staphylococcus—pipette off excess fluid and dry plates for one–2 h at 37 °C.

2.

Punch five holes, equidistant from each other, effectually the plate.

iii.

Dilute the standard solution of antibiotic to requite 3 suitable known dilutions and fill 3 of the holes with these solutions.

4.

Add the specimen to the quaternary hole and dilute the specimen accordingly before filling the 5th hole.

This dilution depends on the nature of the specimen and the probable amount of antibiotic in the specimen.

5.

The plates are then placed in the incubator, for 18 to 24 h.

6.

Measure the zones of inhibition and plot a graph showing relation of zone diameter to strength of antibody for the iii controls.

7.

Estimate strength of unknown from this graph.

Note—More refined versions for the analysis of torso fluids are available when greater precision is needed.

Tabular array 27.3 gives a general guide to the isolation and identification of some common organisms. It must exist stressed that this is only a general guide and more specialized books should exist consulted for additional details.

Table 27.iii. ISOLATION OF ORGANISMS FROM SPECIMENS

Organism Specimen Gram stain reaction Suggested media Remarks on isolation and identification
Bordetella Per-nasal and pharyngeal swabs Negative Bordet-Gengou Lacey DPF Serology.
Brucella Exudates, claret Negative Liver agar Serum dextrose agar 10% CO2 cultivation. Phage. Serology—dye plates, H2Southward production.
Corynebacterium Nasopharynx wounds Positive Blood agar Tellurite agar Loeffler's Aerobic cultivation. Toxin product, serum sugar reactions, virulence tests.
Clostridium Wounds, pus, exudates, blood Positive Blood agar Cooked meat Thioglycollate Anaerobic cultivation, carbohydrate reactions, litmus milk. Animal inoculation. Nagler plate, stormy clot.
Coliforms Urine, exudates, blood, pus, CSF faeces, sputa Negative Blood agar MacConkey agar Aerobic cultivation. Biochemical tests including EMVIC reactions. Serology.
Gonococcus Exudates from genitalia, center, joints Negative Chocolate agar Nile blue sulphate 10% CO2 cultivation. Serum carbohydrate reactions. Oxidase examination.
Haemophilus CSF, claret, sputum, exudates Negative Claret agar Chocolate agar

Aerobic tillage.

Serology.

X and Five factors.

Satellitism.

Klebsiella pneumoniae Sputum, blood, CSF, exudates Negative

Blood agar

Blood goop

Aerobic tillage.

Mouse inoculation.

Serological typing.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis Sputum, CSF exudates, urine, pus, faeces Positive (not easily stained) Lowenstein–Jensen

Aerobic cultivation.

Concentration by alkali methods.

Acrid-fast stains.

Niacin and catalase peroxidase tests.

Meningococcus Blood, CSF, nasopharynx Negative Chocolate agar

10% CO2 tillage.

Serum sugar reactions oxidase exam.

Pneumococcus Sputum, claret, CSF, pus, exudates Positive Blood agar

Aerobic cultivation.

10-haemolysis.

Bile or optochin sensitivity.

Typing with specific antiserum.

Proteus Urine, exudates, CSF, blood Negative High concentration-agar Salt-gratis agar

Aerobic cultivation.

Swarming.

Splitting of urea, saccharide reactions.

Pseudomonas Urine, exudates, pus, CSF, blood Negative Blood agar

Aerobic cultivation.

Pigmentation.

Hugh and Liefson.

Pasteurella Sputum, blood, exudates, pus Negative Blood agar

Aerobic cultivation.

Growth on MacConkey, fauna inoculation, saccharide reactions.

Staphylococcus Pus, exudates, blood, CSF faeces, sputum Positive Blood agar Salt medium

Move, serology Aerobic cultivation.

Coagulase, phage typing.

Streptococcus Pus, exudates, blood, CSF, throat swabs Positive Blood agar

Aerobic or anaerobic cultivation.

Haemolysis, soluble haemolysin, Lancefield grouping. Growth on MacConkey, estrus resistance.

Salmonella Faeces, blood, urine, exudates Negative

MacConkey'southward agar

Desoxycholate-citrate agar Selenite F Wilson and Blair's medium

Aerobic cultivation.

Sugar reactions, indole, motility, serology.

Shigella Faeces Negative MacConkey Deoxycholate-citrate media Selenite F

Aerobic cultivation.

Sugar reactions.

Indole, motility, serology.

Yeasts and fungi Skin, nails, hair, exudates, pus, sputum, blood Sabouraud's dextrose agar Penicillin and streptomycin Claret agar

Aerobic cultivation at 37 °C and 22 °C.

Needle mount.

Fluorescence of hair.

Corn meal agar Sugar reactions } yeasts.

Growth on rice grains.

Read full chapter

URL:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780407001541500312

Petrifilm – A Simplified Cultural Technique

L.Chiliad. Medina , R. Jordano , in Encyclopedia of Food Microbiology (Second Edition), 2014

Abstract

Petrifilm plate methods are an alternative to conventional agar plate methods for microbiological testing of food and beverages. Petrifilm plates embody an all-in-one plating system developed and registered by the Food Safety Division of the 3M ® Corporation. The available products (as of May 2011) include films to civilization aerobic microorganisms, Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, Escherichia coli, yeasts and molds, and Staphylococcus aureus, as well equally an Environmental Listeria Count Plate. Petrifilm methods have been validated past AFNOR, and are recognized by AOAC and IDF as official methods for a wide range of foods.

Read full chapter

URL:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123847300002500

Biotechnological Role of Phage-Displayed Peptides for the Diagnosis of Neglected Tropical Diseases

J. de Moura , ... Five. Thomaz-Soccol , in Current Developments in Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 2017

8.4.4 Phage Titration

Titration is the procedure used to obtain the phage concentration, i.e., to make up one's mind the number of infectious particles per milliliter of stock solution. In fact, this information is necessary to know the volume of phage stock to be used in the next panning.

Also important is the evaluation of output–input phage ratio after each round of panning to determine the phage recovery efficiency. A gradual increase of output–input phage ratio betwixt pannings is the showtime bear witness of a successful screening.

Titering phages is too convenient because the individual colonies obtained from plates later on each panning could be immediately assayed against the antibody or ligand.

Protocol five.

1.

Selection a single colony from an agar plate and inoculate into x  mL LB medium without antibiotics, every bit described earlier. Incubate at 37°C, at 225   rpm overnight.

2.

Add five   mL from the preculture in a 500-mL Erlenmeyer flask containing prewarmed 100   mL of LB. Incubate the flask at 37°C, shaking at 225   rpm, and go on culturing until the culture reaches 1.viii at 600   nm. After that, incubate the culture for xxx   min, shaking at fifty   rpm at 37°C to pili formation.

3.

For titration of eluted (output) phages, set up 100-fold series dilution equally following:

a.

Add together 10   μL eluted phage to 990   μL LB in a one.v-mL microtube (ten−2 dilution).

b.

Add 10   μL of ten−2 dilution to 990   μL LB in a 1.five-mL microtube (10−4 dilution).

c.

Add 10   μL of 10−iv dilution to 990   μL LB in a one.v-mL microtube (10−six dilution).

4.

For titration of amplified (input) phages, ready a 100-fold serial dilution as described, including x−viii, 10−10, and 10−12 dilutions.

five.

Transfer 200-μL K91   cells from an exponentially growing culture to autoclaved 1.v-mL microtubes and add x   μL of phage dilutions. To bacterial cells add an aliquot from 10−4 and 10−6 dilutions of output phages and 10−8, 10−ten, and ten−12 dilutions of input phages, respectively (Fig. 8.2). Mix well by carefully pipetting up and down. Incubate at 37°C for xv   min without shaking and for 15   more min of shaking at 225   rpm at 37°C;

Figure 8.2. Procedure to make up one's mind the phage stock titer. A serial of 100-fold dilutions is obtained by putting 10   μL of the stock solution into 990   μL of LB medium (x−ii). Each subsequent dilution is made from the previous dilution, equally illustrated. After that, 10   μL of each dilution is incubated with host cells, which are so spread onto LB agar plates.

6.

Prewarm freshly prepared 100-mm LB agar plates containing 20   μg/mL tetracycline at 37°C for 2   h. Label one plate per sample, including ane for uninfected K91 cells used equally a control. After overnight incubation, the control plate containing merely K91 Due east. coli and dilution medium should have no plaques.

seven.

Gently add together 200   μL of each infected K91 cell onto the prewarmed plates and spread them until the plate is completely dry. Invert and place the plate overnight in a 37°C incubator to allow colonies to grow and be isolated.

8.

Detect plates and determine the titer in transducing units per mL (TU/mL) co-ordinate the equation:

TU / mL = number of colonies × fold dilution × 100

For example:

50 × ten 8 × 100 = 5.10 11 TU / mL

The multiplication factor 100 is used to obtain the phage concentration per milliliter once ten   μL corresponds to the volume of phages used to infect K91 host cells.

More often than not, information technology is recommended to select the plate with a number of colonies around 100 to determine the titer with respect to minimizing the statistical counting error [37]. If it is not possible, i.east., if all plates accept fewer colonies than expected, an independent decision is recommended for each sample, and then information technology is best to take the average value from it to obtain the sample titer [38].

9.

Based on the measurements published by Day and Wiserman [39], another possibility is to determine the phage concentration (phage particles per milliliter) by absorbance at 269 and 320   nm [forty] according to the following formula:

Particles / mL = ( A 269 - A 320 ) × ( vi.10 16 ) / ( DNA bases in the phage genome )

Read full affiliate

URL:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780444636607000085

Prison cell growth

West T. Godbey , in Biotechnology and its Applications (Second Edition), 2022

5.4.2 Agar plates

For bacterial cultures, one can determine cell number with the aid of agar plates. If we were to evenly plate a given volume from a cell culture onto an agar plate and let it to grow overnight, the next morning we should be able to count the number of colonies on the plate with the naked center ( Figure v.14). Each of these circular bacterial colonies originated from a single prison cell that was plated the night before. So, if we plated 100 μL of a bacterial civilisation and the next morning, we saw 100 colonies growing on the plate, nosotros could infer that the culture contained one colony-forming unit (CFU) per microliter when the cells were originally plated. Information technology may be easy to think of a CFU simply every bit being a bacterium, but this would not be correct. Dead and virtually dying bacteria volition not form colonies, so the number of CFUs rarely equals the number of cells in an aliquot; it indicates the number of originating cells that were able to grow on the agar to form colonies.

Effigy 5.14. Agar plates can exist streaked with a known volume of bacterial cell pause to get an idea of prison cell concentration. Presuming they exercise not overlap, the resulting circular colonies can each exist assumed to accept come from individual cells that were able to proliferate. Such cells are known every bit colony-forming units.

We could take a sample of cells from our culture, dilute the sample with medium, take a known book (e.thousand., 100 μL) from it, and evenly distribute it over the surface of an agar plate. Later on an overnight incubation at an optimal temperature (37° for E. coli, 30° for yeast), the number of colonies can be counted and divided by the volume of culture that was initially plated to yield the CFU concentration at the time the cells were plated.

Read full affiliate

URL:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128177266000058

Vagococcus

L.Yard. Teixeira , ... P.L. Shewmaker , in Encyclopedia of Food Microbiology (Second Edition), 2014

Vancomycin Susceptibility Identification Examination

Several colonies of the strain are transferred to one-half of a trypticase soy agar plate containing v% sheep blood and spread with a loop or cotton fiber swab to reach confluent growth. The vancomycin susceptibility testing disk (30  μg) is placed in the heavy office of the streak. The inoculated plate is incubated at v% CO2 atmosphere for 18   h. Strains with whatever zone of growth inhibition are considered susceptible, and strains that exhibit growth up to the disk are considered resistant. Results of this examination are useful for presumptive identification purposes simply.

Read total affiliate

URL:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123847300003426

Methods to Grow and Measure In Vitro Static Biofilms

Kidon Sung , ... Saeed Khan , in Encyclopedia of Infection and Amnesty, 2022

Agar plate counting of viable biofilm cells

Biofilms harvested from CBM, ALIM, and MPM tin can be plated on appropriate nutrient agar plates through serial dilution following the disengagement process, and the number of alive bacterial cells tin can be counted. Plate counting is a reliable and sensitive technique, generally referred to as the gold standard, for bacterial enumeration in biofilms; various bacteria can too be counted at the same time ( Tabular array. 1). However, it is time-consuming and requires a lot of labor and experienced laboratory personnel. Even though optimal selective culture media and culture conditions are required for multi-species biofilms, plate counting has the advantage of selectively quantifying the desired bacterial species. Notwithstanding, false-negatives tin can occur if bacterial species are grown under conditions below the detection limits of selective culture media containing antibiotics (Vandecandelaere et al., 2012). The presence of some captious, stressed, viable but non-culturable bacteria or unculturable bacteria in biofilms can also atomic number 82 to faux-negative results (Xu et al., 2012). To overcome these bug, molecular techniques such every bit quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using peptide nucleic acid probes, and pyrosequencing can be used to detect DNA from bacteria nowadays in multi-species biofilms (Lopes et al., 2018; Xu et al., 2012; Vandecandelaere et al., 2012).

Tabular array 1. Methods to measure in vitro static biofilms.

Methods Application Advantages Disadvantages References
Agar plate counting of viable biofilm cells Counting of the number of live bacterial cells Reliable, sensitive technique
Count diverse leaner simultaneously
Selectively quantify the desired bacterial species in multi-species biofilms
Fourth dimension consuming
Require a lot of labor and experienced laboratory personnel
False-negative can occur if bacterial species are grown under conditions below the detection limit of selective media
Some fastidious, stressed, viable but non-culturable bacteria in biofilms atomic number 82 to simulated-negative results
Vandecandelaere et al. (2012) and Xu et al. (2012)
Viability assessment by SYTO ix/propidium iodide (PI) staining Observing the biofilm structure Stained biofilms tin can be visualized and characterized by a microplate reader, flow cytometry, or CLSM If PI doesn't penetrate the dead cell'southward membranes, they are falsely determined equally viable cells
Combinations of SYTO ix and PI may cause high groundwork signals, crosstalk, and rapid photobleaching
It is hard to measure full number of cells in Gram-negative bacteria'south biofilms
Ong et al. (2019) and Hofmann et al. (2012)
Assessment of the total biomass by crystal violet (CV) staining analysis Measuring the full biomass of biofilms Unable to quantify the bodily number of viable cells
There is no standardized protocol
Variation of the absorbance signals between bacterial species
Paytubi et al. (2017) and Merritt et al. (2005)
Biofilm measurement by metabolic action
MTT staining assay Measuring metabolic activity of biofilms Simple, fast, and loftier reproducibility Require the jail cell lysis before reading optical density
Components of growth media influence bacterial reduction of MTT to formazan
Assay score falsely increases if the outer membrane is damaged
Traba and Liang (2011) and Chusri et al. (2013)
XTT staining assay Measuring metabolic activity of biofilms Directly measure the amount of formazan
Perform an antibody susceptibility examination of intact biofilms
Poor linear human relationship betwixt the colorimetric signal and the bacterial concentration in biofilms
Require optimization of standard curve between the formazan product absorbance and the number of viable cells
Signal intensity tin be influenced some leaner contain pregnant corporeality of intracellular salts
Gabrielson et al. (2002), Adam et al. (2002), and She et al. (2016)
Resazurin (Alamar Blueish) staining analysis Measuring metabolic activity of biofilms Fast and cost constructive
High sensitivity to detect depression levels of feasible bacteria
Skillful correlation between the number of bacterial cells and the fluorescent signals
The rates of resazurin metabolization are different depending on the bacteria
Incubation times required for the bacteria are different in multi-species biofilms
Paytubi et al. (2017) and Bandeira Tde et al. (2013)
ATP bioluminescence assay Measuring metabolic activity of biofilms Fast and easy to perform
Sensitive to detect low metabolic activeness
It is not disturbed past fluorescent substances
Able to quantify viable cells in both planktonic and biofilm cells
It is not suitable to quantify biofilms if ATP is not fully extracted or biofilms are grown for extended periods of time Stiefel et al. (2016) and Wilson et al. (2017)
Biofilm detection by microscopical techniques
Conventional light microscopy Not expensive
Like shooting fish in a barrel to prepare and observe samples
Able to observe a big expanse of viable cell civilization during extended periods of fourth dimension
Visualize biofilms after staining with dyes
Do non require advanced microscopy technique
Difficulty in counting the total numbers of leaner
Unable to observe small components of bacterial cells or details of the biofilm structure
Relucenti et al. (2021), Pelzer et al. (2012), and Sowndarya et al. (2020)
CLSM Observing spatial system of biofilm architecture Able to determine feasible and expressionless cell numbers
Able to identify bacterial species in polymicrobial biofilms
Able to perform horizontal and vertical optical sectioning of 3-dimensional biofilms
Expensive musical instrument
Require fluorophore staining
Biofilm structure influences the fluorophore staining
Ong et al. (2019) and de Carvalho and da Fonseca (2007)
SEM Imaging of three-dimensional structure with high resolution Able to image topography and composition Expensive instrument
Samples should be stock-still
Damage biofilm shape during dehydration step
Stokes (2003), Cazaux (2005), and Weber et al. (2014)
TEM Imaging of two dimensional structure with high resolution Imaging the comprehensive morphology and structure including nucleic acids and proteins Expensive instrument
Crave highly experienced technicians for sample grooming
Graham and Orenstein (2007), DeQueiroz and Day (2007), and Chuo et al. (2018)
AFM Imaging of 3-dimensional structure with high resolution Able to provide viscoelastic properties and adhesion forces
Able to notice the sample prototype in real time without damage
Able to measure thickness and EPS quantity
Difficult to analyze large-scale samples
Sample immobilization is required when cells in liquid are analyzed
Handorf et al. (2019), Wang et al. (2020), Merghni et al. (2017), Vahabi et al. (2013), Deng et al. (2018), and Louise Meyer et al. (2010)

Read total chapter

URL:

https://world wide web.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128187319001671

Microbes Civilization Methods

Physician Latiful Bari , Sabina Yeasmin , in Encyclopedia of Infection and Immunity, 2022

Short term storage (continuous growth)

Continuous growth of microorganisms tin be maintained for short periods of time on agar medium. Agar plate cultures of microorganisms are viable for a few weeks when kept in the laboratory refrigerator (iv  °C), while bacterial cultures can exist stored for up to a year at 4   °C as agar stab cultures (Fig. 11). Nigh microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, and algae) tin be stored using this method and it is recommended for cultures which are used regularly. Using nutrients from the civilization media, these cultures grow continuously, albeit at a slower rate at lower temperatures, enabling them to survive for a longer time on the bachelor nutrients.

Fig. 11

Fig. 11. (A) A unmarried bacterial colony is plunged into a vial of soft agar using a straight wire and incubated to form an agar stab culture. Image credit: Wikipedia. (B) Leaner is streaked onto a plate of agar culture medium and incubated. Paradigm credit: Orbit Biotech. (C) TSI Agar slant tubes: The agar triple-sugar iron is one of the culture media used for the differentiation of most enterobacteria.

Image Credit: Orbit Biotech.

To minimize contamination and drying of the agar, culture plates should be securely wrapped with laboratory film and stored upside downwards (agar side up). Tubes and vials containing agar stab cultures should be securely capped. An advantage of curt term storage on agar medium is that it is easy to recover the microorganisms later. Only streak them onto fresh civilisation plates or inoculate them into liquid civilization medium and incubate at the optimum growth temperature.

However, over a prolonged menses of fourth dimension, the agar dries up and nutrients in the culture media are depleted past the microorganisms. Metabolic waste products also accumulate to toxic levels. Nutrient starvation and toxic waste product build-upwards eventually cause the death of the stored microorganisms.

Read full chapter

URL:

https://world wide web.sciencedirect.com/science/commodity/pii/B9780128187319001282

Exoelectrogens for Microbial Fuel Cells☆

Jeff R. Beegle , Abhijeet P. Borole , in Progress and Recent Trends in Microbial Fuel Cells, 2018

11.iv.3 Biological Analysis

Quantitative polymerase concatenation reaction (qPCR) is a cell counting technique that offers an alternative to conventional culturing on agar plates. To overcome sources of error from gratis Dna and Deoxyribonucleic acid from dead cells, modified qPCR techniques using propidium monoazide (PMA) are used to distinguish viable and nonviable Dna [274–277]. There are limitations to PMA-qPCR, such as sensitivity to membrane integrity and nonspecific PMA binding, but qPCR offers a faster prison cell counting method than plating [278–281]. Inherently a Deoxyribonucleic acid distension process, qPCR has other uses in enquiry beyond cell counting. When practical to the amplification of 16S rRNA, qPCR can be used to compare the effects of ecology conditions on different biofilm samples [282,283].

The details of community structure are also facilitated by qPCR. The amplification of 16S rRNA creates a clone library for a microbial customs, which can be analyzed with other fingerprinting techniques. For instance, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) can be used to analyze multiple samples nether various experimental atmospheric condition [284,285]. This technique has been used in MFCs to observe changes in microbial communities later on dissimilar treatments are applied [286–289]. Differences in gene expression betwixt communities can provide insight into the mechanisms beingness expressed in each community. One of the main limitations of DGGE is that it does not accept the resolution of detecting organisms that represent less than 1% of the overall community [290,291]. Terminal brake fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) is some other technique that can exist used to fingerprint diverse microbial communities [292,293]. T-RFLP separates rRNA fragments past size and records the fluorescence intensity in a fast, automated process. The limitations of DGGE, T-RFLP and other fingerprinting techniques is that they rely on PCR, which can be notoriously biased [294].

Alternative community analysis methods include fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), pyrosequencing, and DNA microarrays. In FISH, fluorescently labeled oligonucleotides hybridize to rRNA inside bacterial cells and allow researchers to place, visualize, and quantity specific leaner within a community [235,291]. Nonspecific binding, the awarding of multiple probes, and the detection of inactive bacteria remain challenges for conventional FISH methods. To overcome these obstacles, several modified FISH techniques have been developed. Molecules called nucleic acid analogs have been used in FISH because they tin exist used with higher binding specificity. Peptide nucleic acrid (PNA) FISH uses a pseudo peptide courage to hybridize with rRNA at a higher analogousness than Deoxyribonucleic acid [295–298]. Locked nucleic acid (LNA) FISH is a similar technique that modifies a portion of a probe, which makes this technique more flexible in designing a probe [235,299]. Other FISH variants accept been developed with a college resolution: catalyzed reporter deposition (CARD-FISH) [300,301], double labeling of oligonucleotides probes (DOPE-FISH) [302], and combinatorial labeling and spectral imaging (CLASI-FISH) [303]. Although FISH requires all-encompassing sample grooming and noesis of the target leaner, it is not subject to qPCR biases and tin can be used in parallel with other techniques, like DGGE, T-RFLP, and Raman spectroscopy, to validate results [294,304–306]. For a more detailed description of FISH techniques, encounter Azeredo et al. [235]. Pyrosequencing is a loftier-throughput screening and identification technique that has higher resolution for low abundance microbes in communities, compared to DGGE [307–311]. DNA Microarray is a 3rd community analysis technique that can be used to simultaneously identify all leaner and archaea by using specific DNA barcodes to track individual genes [220,291,312,313].

To describe changes in communities at the gene, RNA, poly peptide, or metabolic level, -omic techniques tin be used to study genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, or metabolomics profiles of microbial communities, respectively [314,315]. Each -omic method provides a separate snapshot of the conditions inside a cell. For instance, proteomics will measure global protein expression but will not provide insight into the metabolic activity, cistron expression patterns, or enzymatic activeness of the community [316–318]. Omics data identifies genes and proteins responsible for of import biofilm, metabolic, or exoelectrogenic behaviors, such as biofilm formation or redox reactions [319–323].

Read total chapter

URL:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780444640178000117