Infrared Spectra of Bacillus subtilis Spores: The Effect of Growth Media

Abstract

We present infrared microscopy spectra of Bacillus subtilis spores cultured in nine types of growth media, and also consider the effect of heat shock on the sporulation of the bacteria and the consequence on the infrared spectral properties of the whole microorganisms. The effect of growth media is elucidated with regard to the variance or invariance of several marker bands in the infrared spectrum of the microorganisms that can be used to effect detection and to some extent identification of the bacterial spores. We evaluate the degree of sporulation apparent in the various samples as a function of the growth media using optical microscopy, and compare the spectra of the samples to that of a sample consisting almost exclusively of vegetative cells. We use a correlation coefficient metric to explore the influence of growth media on detection models programmed using a sample of the microbial spores that is frequently used in field tests sponsored by the Department of Defense. While the results exhibit significant quantitative variation in the spectra as a function of growth media, we note that the qualitative properties of the spore spectra are preserved under the varying growing conditions.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 2003
Accession Number
ADA483952

Entities

People

  • Alan C. Samuels
  • Avishai Ben-david
  • Diane St. Amant
  • Diane Wong
  • Gerald Meyer
  • Laurie Carey
  • Victor Kalasinsky

Organizations

  • Edgewood Chemical Biological Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Bacteria
  • Cells
  • Culture Media
  • Detection
  • Detectors
  • Films
  • Fingerprints
  • Identification
  • Infrared Spectra
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Microscopy
  • Monitoring
  • Spectra
  • Spectroscopy
  • Spores

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Materials Science and Engineering.
  • Microbial Pathology

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology