Bacterial assay for the rapid assessment of antifouling and fouling release properties of coatings and materials.

An assay has been developed to accurately quantify the growth and release behaviour of bacterial biofilms on several test reference materials and coatings, using the marine bacterium Cobetia marina as a model organism. The assay can be used to investigate the inhibition of bacterial growth and release properties of many surfaces when compared to a reference. The method is based upon the staining of attached bacterial cells with the nucleic acid-binding, green fluorescent SYTO 13 stain.

The effect of gregariousness in cyprid settlement assays.

The in vitro settlement assay using cyprids of Balanus. amphitrite is an important tool in basic and applied research. The aim of this study was to quantify the effect of gregariousness within these assays, and to determine the interaction between gregariousness and container size, and settlement promoters and inhibitors.