While it is clear that there would be differences in interactions between different bacteria and different surfaces, there is no simple way of measuring such. This work aims to find a way by which this interaction can be derived semi-quantitatively. Surfaces that would offer different types of interaction (positive, negative, hydrophilic, hydrophobic) were prepared by adsorbing polyelectrolytes to a glass slide, which then formed the wall of a microfluidic channel through which the bacterial solution was passed. The number of bacteria in the bulk was obtained by measurement of the optical density of the solution, while the amount adsorbed at a specific bulk concentration was determined by direct observation using optical microscopy. The results were analyzed in terms of adsorption isotherm models to extract an estimate of the surface free energy of adsorption, which is a measure of the strength of these cell-surface interactions.

Assessment of bacterial interactions with surfaces through the estimation of the adsorption free energy

256th National Meeting (2018)

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