Trapping bacteria and fungi using microfluidic design

Abstract

Escherichia coli and Candida auris are not easy to identify in laboratories without special technology. In this study, we have presented microfluidic designs for trapping bacteria and fungi. Two trapping chambers are designed using AutoCAD and the fluid dynamics of the bacteria and fungi are simulated using D. Schroeder’s Fluid Dynamics Simulation software. The designs are modified versions of a device that is constructed and simulated with numerical predictions, which include sizes and apertures in consideration of the specified microbe. The current designs take into account the exact dimensions of E. coli and C. auris under fluid flow and passive microfluidic technique, where actuation is based on geometry, is considered. The measurements of the design ensure that the species are to be trapped due to diffusion and ¬¬fluid dynamics. From the simulation, the stagnation is to be shown with its default setting, and approximation is done in its motion which is simulated in the two-dimensional space of the bacteria and fungi. The microfluidic designs will be useful during experiments in deciphering necessary information of the bacteria and fungi and will be a platform in modeling numerous biomedical assays and in the optimization of biophysical tools.