Lawrence J R, Swerhone G D, Neu T R
National Water Research Institute, 11 Innovation Blvd., Saskatoon, S7N 3H5, Saskatchewan, Canada.
J Microbiol Methods. 2000 Nov;42(3):215-24. doi: 10.1016/s0167-7012(00)00195-0.
The performance of two types of rotating annular reactors for the cultivation of river biofilms was compared qualitatively and quantitatively. One reactor was a commercially available system with a rotating inner solid cylinder and polycarbonate slides in the outer fixed cylinder. The other, a non-commercial system manufactured in the laboratory, had the polycarbonate slides positioned on a machined, rotating inner cylinder. Microscale comparison of the biofilms was carried out using confocal laser scanning microscopy techniques including, fluorescent nucleic acid staining, fluor conjugated lectins and autofluorescence imaging. The results obtained indicated that the reactors were similar in terms of biofilm development pattern, thickness, bacterial biomass, and exopolymer production. Significant differences were found in terms of photosynthetic biomass with the glass bodied non-commercial reactor providing more favourable conditions for algal growth than the opaque polycarbonate outer cylinder of the commercial reactor. The study indicated that a simple inexpensive reactor constructed from available components and materials, produced river biofilms similar to those obtained using a commercial system but at substantially lower cost. The availability of such inexpensive annular reactors should facilitate much needed replicated studies of biofilm development.
对两种用于培养河流生物膜的旋转环形反应器的性能进行了定性和定量比较。一种反应器是市售系统，其内部有一个旋转的实心圆柱体，外部固定圆柱体中有聚碳酸酯载玻片。另一种是实验室制造的非商业系统，聚碳酸酯载玻片位于一个经过加工的旋转内圆柱体上。使用共聚焦激光扫描显微镜技术对生物膜进行微观比较，包括荧光核酸染色、荧光共轭凝集素和自发荧光成像。所得结果表明，在生物膜发育模式、厚度、细菌生物量和胞外聚合物产生方面，这两种反应器相似。在光合生物量方面发现了显著差异，玻璃材质的非商业反应器比商业反应器不透明的聚碳酸酯外圆柱体为藻类生长提供了更有利的条件。该研究表明，用现有部件和材料构建的简单廉价反应器产生的河流生物膜与使用商业系统获得的生物膜相似，但成本要低得多。这种廉价环形反应器的可用性应有助于开展生物膜发育急需的重复研究。
