IMAGE-ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS ON SURFACE COLONIZATION BY ANAEROBIC MICROBIAL ASSOCIATIONS FROM LANDFILL

A method developed to study colonization of glass by anaerobic bacteria was modified for the study of nontransparent materials. Using an image analyser, time sequences of microscope fields were captured during colonization by a butyrate-degrading microbial association, of biodegradable and non-biodegradable materials typically found in landfill. Greater colonization and growth was observed on glass, cellophane, plastic, and polythene, than on wood, cotton, polyester and paper. On cotton, there appeared to be a cycle of colonization, sporulation and colony decay on fibres. Mats of linked cells were observed in spaces between fibres of cotton, but not polyester or paper.