Monitoring active biomass in biofilms by ATP measurement

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Biological treatment of wastewater relies on the action of diverse competent microorganisms to degrade the organic matter. Many of these microorganisms are found as surface associated biofilms or suspended microbial flocs. Bacterial biofilms are communities of cells attached to surfaces where nutrients and other cells aggregate, and thus are locations where active metabolism occurs. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are potential hotspots for the accumulation of many antimicrobial agents, such as antibiotics. However, the peculiar nature of biofilms shelter microorganisms from antibiotics or other inhibitory substances. Rapid Biodetection Inc. is a privately owned Canadian company that specializes in real-time monitoring systems for drinking water distribution networks and wastewater treatment. They provide rapid detection systems that are applied in different fields from monitoring water quality in distribution networks, wastewater treatment plants, and water in oil and gas industries. To evaluate the active microbial component, Rapid Biodetection utilizes an adenosine triphosphate (ATP) based assay to measure the living biomass activity for the water system being tested. While there is considerable information on the suitability of the ATP assay to measure living microbial cells in liquid microbial cell suspension, less research has been undertaken to assess the living microbial biomass in biofilms or clumped in flocs. In this proposal, we will use the ATP test provided by Rapid Biodetection to assess the effect of antimicrobial agents on the active biomass found in biofilms generated in the laboratory. The results will be compared to other means of assessing active microbial biomass and