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View/Open - ARAN - National University of Ireland, Galway

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Chapter 1<br />

concrete) and aseptically removed from the lid <strong>of</strong> the microtitre plate after<br />

bi<strong>of</strong>ilm formation. The plugs are then used for enumeration via plate<br />

counts or for evaluation by direct microscopy. Another high throughput<br />

assay for assessing bi<strong>of</strong>ilm formation has been devised using a BioFilm Ring<br />

Test ®. The bi<strong>of</strong>ilm ring test is based on placing magnetic beads (toner) in a<br />

high concentration <strong>of</strong> a test organism, which is then allowed to develop<br />

into a bi<strong>of</strong>ilm by incubating the organism in a microtitre plate. After the<br />

incubation period, the microtitre plate is placed on a magnetic support<br />

block [115]. The hypothesis is that if a bi<strong>of</strong>ilm is formed it will not allow the<br />

magnetic beads to agglutinate at the centre <strong>of</strong> the microtitre plate [115].<br />

An additional alternative to the microtitre plate system is the insertion <strong>of</strong><br />

coupons made <strong>of</strong> the relevant materials into 6/24 well microtitre plates [71,<br />

98]. This method allows bi<strong>of</strong>ilm growth and direct visualisation <strong>of</strong> the<br />

process through microscopy. Similarly nutrient media is spiked with a<br />

known concentration <strong>of</strong> bacterial culture and allowed to grow at optimal<br />

temperatures. After the bi<strong>of</strong>ilm has grown, the coupons can be assessed<br />

with microscopy or the viable colony counting though plate count<br />

methodology. However this procedure still does not account for sheer<br />

stress which can result in greater attachment, increased biomass and<br />

higher physiological activity than a bi<strong>of</strong>ilm grown in laminar flow or batchphase<br />

models [116-117].<br />

In order to overcome this issue, some researchers have chosen to examine<br />

bi<strong>of</strong>ilm formation in a modified Robbins device [118], which allows<br />

nutrients to flow through the device and come into contact with the<br />

surfaces that are inserted into the ports. The device is connected to fresh<br />

media via tubing which allows continuous flow <strong>of</strong> nutrients and waste<br />

disposal. The bi<strong>of</strong>ilm forms on the surfaces which can then be removed for<br />

further analysis (microscopy or plate counts). Similar Plug Flow devices<br />

Page<br />

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