DETECTION AND ANALYSIS OF THE TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENT GROWTH-CHARACTERISTICS OF PROTEUS-MIRABILIS USING A BULK ACOUSTIC-WAVE AMMONIA SENSOR

A bulk acoustic wave ammonia sensor has been applied to monitor the gr owth of Proteus mirabilis based on the growth response equation. The i nfluence of temperature on the bacterial growth has been investigated by using the Arrhenius law. A temperature-dependent model, called the Schoolfield model, has also been used to fit the maximum specific grow th rates (mu(m)) at different temperature. The goodness-of-fit is 1.00 07 and the characteristics parameters of Proteus mirabili in the Schoo lfield model have been estimated. The growth rate at 25 degrees C ( rh o((298 K))), the activation enthalpy of the rate-controlling enzyme re action, the optimum growth temperature (T-opt) and the optimum specifi c growth rate (mu(m opt)) are 1.023 (h(-1)), 17.97 (kJ mol(-1)), 312.4 K and 1.3364 (h(-1)), respectively. In addition, the clinical assay o f bacterial concentration in human urine samples has been accomplished , based on a linear relationship between the inflection time (t(i)) an d the logarithm of the bacterial concentration. Results obtained for t he bacterial concentration are in agreement with those obtained by the pour plate count method and the frequency detection time method respe ctively. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.