Automated Protist Analysis of Complex Samples: Recent Investigations Using Motion and Thresholding.

摘要

Ballast water management systems must be tested relative to the U.S. Coast Guard's proposed ballast water discharge standard before they can be approved for routine shipboard use. Analysis for live organisms in treated samples is time-limited and labor intensive. Currently, skilled staff must use a microscope to observe, count, and verify the viability of live organisms > or = 10 microns and < 50 microns in minimum dimension. This report provides technical details on the results obtained when applying automation algorithms developed by Naval Research Laboratory to complex samples using the Protocols for Automated Protist Analysis. This work has shown that the number of viable organisms that are detected in complex samples depends on the thresholds used to display and analyze data, that organism size cannot be uniquely determined in these samples without significant effort, and that motility is essential for determining organism viability in this size class when using automated methods. This report's findings are the result of continued research into the potential to automate protist analyses and provide the most current information available at the conclusion of this initial research effort. Additional automation research efforts are ongoing and may affect details reported herein.