Deformability Assessment of Waterborne Protozoa Using a Microfluidic-Enabled Force Microscopy Probe.

ABSTRACT: Many modern filtration technologies are incapable of the complete removal of Cryptosporidium oocysts from drinking-water. Consequently, Cryptosporidium-contaminated drinking-water supplies can severely implicate both water utilities and consumers. Existing methods for the detection of Cryptosporidium in drinking-water do not discern between non-pathogenic and pathogenic species, nor between viable and non-viable oocysts. Using FluidFM, a novel force spectroscopy method employing microchannelled cantilevers for single-cell level manipulation, we assessed the size and deformability properties of two species of Cryptosporidium that pose varying levels of risk to human health. A comparison of such characteristics demonstrated the ability of FluidFM to discern between Cryptosporidium muris and

SUBMITTER: McGrath JS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4777494 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature