title: Metabolic activity interferometer: description and calibration of an interferometric method to measure growth of mycobacteria.
abstract: An interferometer that measures the refractive index changes due to bacterial metabolism is described. The apparatus permits simultaneous and real time measurement of bacterial growth in several samples of slowly growing mycobacteria. The error sources are discussed and the sensitivity of the apparatus is tested. For the species Mycobacterium bovis BCG and M. smegmatis, a relation between refractive index change and bacterial concentration is determined experimentally and the time constant of bacterial growth is measured.
authors.affiliation: Programa de pós-graduação de Biotecnologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: R R P
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Lima Filho
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Jardim
authors.forename: M A A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: de Faria
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lesche
mesh_terms: D002138:Calibration; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D007368:Interferometry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology*; D012031:Refractometry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity