Real-time multichannel system for the monitorization of biofilm formation based on quartz crystal resonators

Abstract

The ability of certain microorganisms to bind to the surfaces of various materials (plastic, metal, ceramics) and develop complex structures such biofilm, is a critical health problem. The development of these structures in medical prosthesis generates severe infections and expensive treatments. The purpose of this project is to design, develop and implement a multichannel measurement system based on piezoelectric resonators. It is destined to monitor the evolution of bacterial biofilm growth. This system is developed from the need of having a tool capable of diagnosing the growth state of bacterial films. The microbiologists will be able to use this system in the future in order to reduce the development time of new medicines. The principle of measurement and the design of the different parts of the system, both hardware and software, are presented through this work, explaining their theoretical basis and validating their operation with simulations or experimental results. At the end of the project, different experiments are performed in order to verify the properly functioning of the designed system. One of these experimental examples using the developed system is a monitoring of the growth of a bacterial film of Staphylococcus Epidermidis strain during a complete day.