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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 18, 2025

Live Cell Imaging of Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus pneumoniae using Automated Time-lapse Microscopy
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A novel time-lapse imaging method for studying developing bacterial biofilms.

Momir Futo1,2,3, Tin Široki1, Sara Koska2

  • 1Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb, Unska 3, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia.

Scientific Reports
|December 8, 2022
PubMed
Summary

We developed an affordable Arduino-based system for time-lapse visualization of bacterial biofilm development. This method captures gross morphological changes throughout the entire biofilm lifecycle, aiding future omics studies.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Bioengineering

Background:

  • Bacteria predominantly form biofilms, exhibiting multicellular organization and developmental processes akin to eukaryotes.
  • Understanding biofilm ontogeny requires visualizing gross morphological changes across development.
  • Existing visualization methods are inadequate for comprehensive biofilm development recording.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop an affordable, automated system for time-lapse visualization of complete bacterial biofilm ontogeny.
  • To overcome challenges like water condensation in biofilm imaging.
  • To provide visual data for guiding omics analyses of biofilm development.

Main Methods:

  • An Arduino microcontroller setup was engineered to control a robotic arm for Petri dish lid operation.
  • The system synchronizes lid movement with a stereomicroscope camera and lighting for time-lapse imaging.
  • The setup was integrated into a microbiological incubator to maintain controlled environmental conditions.

Main Results:

  • The system successfully enabled time-lapse visualization of complete biofilm ontogeny.
  • Water condensation issues were mitigated by the automated lid control.
  • Proof-of-principle recordings of five Bacillus subtilis strains with varying developmental dynamics were achieved.

Conclusions:

  • The presented Arduino-based system offers an accessible solution for visualizing bacterial biofilm development.
  • This tool facilitates the study of biofilm ontogeny and supports omics-based research.
  • The system provides crucial visual data for understanding bacterial multicellular development.