Wavelet-based tracking of bacteria in unreconstructed off-axis holograms

Zach Marin; J Kent Wallace; Jay Nadeau; Andre Khalil

doi:10.1016/j.ymeth.2017.09.003

Wavelet-based tracking of bacteria in unreconstructed off-axis holograms

Methods. 2018 Mar 1:136:60-65. doi: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2017.09.003. Epub 2017 Sep 13.

Authors

Zach Marin¹, J Kent Wallace², Jay Nadeau³, Andre Khalil⁴

Affiliations

¹ CompuMAINE Laboratory, Department of Mathematics & Statistics, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA. Electronic address: zachary.connertymarin@maine.edu.
² The Motility Group, Division of Aerospace Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91109, USA. Electronic address: james.k.wallace@jpl.nasa.gov.
³ The Motility Group, Division of Aerospace Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125, USA. Electronic address: jnadeau@caltech.edu.
⁴ CompuMAINE Laboratory, Department of Mathematics & Statistics, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA. Electronic address: andre.khalil@maine.edu.

PMID: 28916149
DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2017.09.003

Abstract

We propose an automated wavelet-based method of tracking particles in unreconstructed off-axis holograms to provide rough estimates of the presence of motion and particle trajectories in digital holographic microscopy (DHM) time series. The wavelet transform modulus maxima segmentation method is adapted and tailored to extract Airy-like diffraction disks, which represent bacteria, from DHM time series. In this exploratory analysis, the method shows potential for estimating bacterial tracks in low-particle-density time series, based on a preliminary analysis of both living and dead Serratia marcescens, and for rapidly providing a single-bit answer to whether a sample chamber contains living or dead microbes or is empty.

Keywords: Airy disks; Motility; Off-axis holograms; Particle tracking; WTMM method; Wavelet transform.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Bacteria / isolation & purification*
Bacteria / ultrastructure
Cell Tracking / methods
Holography / methods*
Microscopy / methods*
Particle Size
Serratia marcescens / isolation & purification
Serratia marcescens / ultrastructure