Long-term observation of Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense in a microfluidic channel

Abstract

We controlled and observed individual magneto-tactic bacteria (Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense) inside a 5μm-high microfluidic channel for over 4 h. After a period of constant velocity, the duration of which varied between bacteria, all observed bacteria showed a gradual decrease in their velocity of about 25nm/s2. After coming to a full stop, different behaviour was observed, ranging from rotation around the centre of mass synchronous with the direction of the external magnetic field, to being completely immobile. Our results suggest that the influence of the high-intensity illumination and the presence of the channel walls are important parameters to consider when performing observations of such long duration.