18.05.2018 change 18.05.2018

"Fingerprints" of microorganisms can create beautiful patterns

Photo: press materials Photo: press materials

Identification of microorganisms does not have to be boring. The results of this work can even resemble... art. Polish scientists have developed a new method of identifying microorganisms, as a result of which microbes leave "fingerprints" that form amazing patterns.

The new method has been announced in the press release by BioPlace, a start-up that commercialises the method developed by Polish researchers. It is based on laser diffraction and can be used, for example, to prevent contamination of cosmetics during their production.

How does the new method work? "In short, you could say that it allows to obtain +fingerprints+ of the tested microorganisms in the form of patterns that form as a result light diffraction on their colonies" - reads the press release.

Laser radiation interacts with colonies of microorganisms in a specific way. Not only features such as shape are unique to colonies of different species of bacteria, but also optical properties, such as refractive index. As a result of the interaction of laser radiation with colonies of microorganisms, optical patterns characteristic for a given species are created - so-called Fresnel diffraction spectra. That`s what scientists mean when they talk about "fingerprints" of microorganisms.

What can they be used for? Patterns created as a result of the interaction of laser radiation with colonies of microorganisms allow to identify microbial types.

The characteristics of cells of various bacterial species contained in the genetic material not only translate into their individual traits, such as structure, shape or metabolism - but also to the macroscopic biological structures they form, such as bacterial colonies.

"Despite the fact that the optical patterns of colonies of microorganisms change depending on the stage of development and incubation conditions and do not always look the same, they are still a source of invaluable information allowing to identify the investigated microorganisms" - the release reads.

Researchers use self-learning algorithms of computer image analysis to identify microorganisms. These algorithms allow to isolate of a number of features specific to a particular species of bacteria, fungi or other microorganisms. Then, using advanced statistical methods, researchers can select the features that best characterize a given colony. The resulting classification models allow to identify the microorganism.

According to Bioavlee, the work on the laser diffraction technique took over 10 years. It all began at the Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, where Dr. Igor Buzalewicz, Dr. Agnieszka Suchwałko and Prof. Halina Podbielska started research on an innovative method of identifying microorganisms. An optical correlator system has been specially adapted to register optical patterns of microbial colonies.

Since 2015, this technique has been developed and implemented by the Wrocław startup Bioavlee. An interdisciplinary group of specialists in the field of biomedical engineering, optics, statistical data analysis, microbiology, laboratory diagnostics and electronics and mechatronics works on a solution for laboratories and centres specialising in microbiological identification for the cosmetics, pharmaceutical and food industries.

According to Bioavlee, laser diffraction can be used to detect primary contamination in cosmetics - the contamination that occurs during the production of the cosmetic. "By using laser diffraction to identify microorganisms, the cosmetics industry can significantly reduce the cost of laboratory tests, and shorten their time to 20-24 hours from the culture to obtaining accurate results" - the company argues.

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