CMOS based image cytometry for detection of phytoplankton in ballast water

Abstract

Abstract:We introduce an image cytometer (I-CYT) for the analysis of phytoplankton in fresh and marine water environments. A linear quantification of cell numbers was observed covering several orders of magnitude using cultures of Tetraselmis and Nannochloropsis measured by autofluorescence in a laboratory environment. We assessed the functionality of the system outside the laboratory by phytoplankton quantification of samples taken from a marine water environment (Dutch Wadden Sea, The Netherlands) and a fresh water environment (Lake Ijssel, The Netherlands). The I-CYT was also employed to study the effects of two ballast water treatment systems (BWTS), based on chlorine electrolysis and UV sterilization, with the analysis including the vitality of the phytoplankton. For comparative study and benchmarking of the I-CYT, a standard flow cytometer was used. Our results prove a limit of detection (LOD) of 10 cells/ml with an accuracy between 0.7 and 0.5 log, and a correlation of 88.29% in quantification and 96.21% in vitality, with respect to the flow cytometry results.

Superheterodyne Microwave System for the Detection of Bioparticles With Coplanar Electrodes on a Microfluidic Platform

“…Different examples of electromagnetic bioparticle detection methods that are, at present, operational have been described in the literature [11]- [15]. In general, the most common approach is based on optical methods consisting in illuminating the microchannel with light at frequencies typically within the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum, and sensing in the far-field regime the optical phenomena caused by the bioparticles as they flow along the centerline of the microchannel [16]- [19]. Electrical-based strategies have also been proposed, which perform measurements at low electromagnetic frequencies (typically f < 0.1 MHz, with f the frequency), and present wavelengths much larger than the dimensions of the system.…”