Use of soft X-ray microscopy for analysis of early-stage biofilm formation

Soft X-ray microscopy (SXM) using synchrotron radiation is a newly-availabl e technology for high resolution imaging of hydrated specimens, making it p otentially valuable for the study of biofilms. In this research, SXM was us ed to investigate bacterial spatial distribution and biofilm structure duri ng the early stages of colonization of an exposed surface. Pseudomonas puti da DMP-1 formed a closely-packed monolayer on a silicon nitride substratum after 24 hours of growth. The initial development of a multilayer, interloc king structure was observed. The soft X-ray images were taken with the XM-1 transmission X-ray microscope, located at the Center for X-ray Optics, Law rence Berkeley National Laboratory. The results indicate the potential of S XM to provide new insights for the study of biofilms. (C) 1999 IAWQ Publish ed by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.