Ink-Jet Printing : Perfect Tool for Cantilever Array Sensor Preparation for Microbial Growth Detection

The use of microcantilever arrays for microbial growth detection provides a rapid and reliable technique for monitoring growth in industrial and clinical applications. Improving the reproducibility and sensitivity of this technique is of great importance. Ink-jet printing has been successfully used in microfabrication and biofabrication due to its high precision; however, only a few microbe-based applications have been reported. Here we demonstrate the advantages of its use for microcantilever based-growth sensing. Four microbial strains Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans were deposited and successfully grown on agarose-coated cantilevers by ink-jet printing. When compared to the capillary-coating method, ink-jet printing demonstrated more controlled cell deposition on cantilevers. The effect of various conditions on cell morphology was also investigated.