A Flexible and Efficient Microfluidics Platform for the Characterization and Isolation of Novel Bacteriophages
Adam Sidi Mabrouk, Véronique Ongenae, Dennis Claessen, Susanne Brenzinger, Ariane Briegel
Abstract
Bacteriophages are gaining increased attention for their potential application as agents to combat antibiotic-resistant infections. However, isolation and characterization of new phages are time consuming and limited by currently used methods. The microfluidics platform presented here allows the isolation and long-term analysis of phages and their effect on host cells with fluorescent light microscopy imaging. Furthermore, this new workflow allows high-throughput characterization of environmental samples for the identification of phages alongside gaining detailed insight into the host response. Taken together, this microfluidics platform will be a valuable tool for phage research, enabling faster and more efficient screening and characterization of host-phage interactions.