title: Dielectrophoresis-based discrimination of bacteria at the strain level based on their surface properties.
abstract: Insulator-based dielectrophoresis can be used to manipulate biological particles, but has thus far found limited practical applications due to low sensitivity. We present linear sweep three-dimensional insulator-based dielectrophoresis as a considerably more sensitive approach for strain-level discrimination bacteria. In this work, linear sweep three-dimensional insulator-based dielectrophoresis was performed on Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 along with six isogenic mutants as well as Streptococcus mitis SF100 and PS344. Strain-level discrimination was achieved between these clinically important pathogens with applied electric fields below 10 V/mm. This low voltage, high sensitivity technique has potential applications in clinical diagnostics as well as microbial physiology research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Braff
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Willner
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hugenholtz
authors.forename: Korneel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rabaey
authors.forename: Cullen R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Buie
mesh_terms: D002473:Cell Wall / Q000378:metabolism; D004560:Electricity; D004586:Electrophoresis / Q000379:methods*; D010641:Phenotype; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000166:cytology* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D034361:Streptococcus mitis / Q000166:cytology* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013499:Surface Properties