Ink-Jet Printing : Perfect Tool for Cantilever Array Sensor Preparation for Microbial Growth Detection

Abstract EN

The use of microcantilever arrays for microbial growth detection provides a rapid and reliable technique for monitoring growth in industrial and clinical applications.

Improving the reproducibility and sensitivity of this technique is of great importance.

Ink-jet printing has been successfully used in microfabrication and biofabrication due to its high precision; however, only a few microbe-based applications have been reported.

Here we demonstrate the advantages of its use for microcantilever based-growth sensing.

Four microbial strains Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus subsp.

aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans were deposited and successfully grown on agarose-coated cantilevers by ink-jet printing.

When compared to the capillary-coating method, ink-jet printing demonstrated more controlled cell deposition on cantilevers.

The effect of various conditions on cell morphology was also investigated.