Real-time bacterial microcolony counting using on-chip microscopy

Sci Rep. 2016 Feb 23:6:21473. doi: 10.1038/srep21473.

Abstract

Observing microbial colonies is the standard method for determining the microbe titer and investigating the behaviors of microbes. Here, we report an automated, real-time bacterial microcolony-counting system implemented on a wide field-of-view (FOV), on-chip microscopy platform, termed ePetri. Using sub-pixel sweeping microscopy (SPSM) with a super-resolution algorithm, this system offers the ability to dynamically track individual bacterial microcolonies over a wide FOV of 5.7 mm × 4.3 mm without requiring a moving stage or lens. As a demonstration, we obtained high-resolution time-series images of S. epidermidis at 20-min intervals. We implemented an image-processing algorithm to analyze the spatiotemporal distribution of microcolonies, the development of which could be observed from a single bacterial cell. Test bacterial colonies with a minimum diameter of 20 μm could be enumerated within 6 h. We showed that our approach not only provides results that are comparable to conventional colony-counting assays but also can be used to monitor the dynamics of colony formation and growth. This microcolony-counting system using on-chip microscopy represents a new platform that substantially reduces the detection time for bacterial colony counting. It uses chip-scale image acquisition and is a simple and compact solution for the automation of colony-counting assays and microbe behavior analysis with applications in antibacterial drug discovery.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Automation, Laboratory / instrumentation
  • Automation, Laboratory / methods*
  • Colony Count, Microbial / instrumentation
  • Colony Count, Microbial / methods*
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Lab-On-A-Chip Devices*
  • Lenses
  • Microscopy / instrumentation
  • Microscopy / methods*
  • Staphylococcus epidermidis / growth & development*
  • Time Factors