Automated Acanthamoeba polyphaga detection and computation of Salmonella typhimurium concentration in spatio-temporal images

Interactions between bacteria and protozoa is an increasing area of interest, however there are a few systems that allow extensive observation of the interactions. We examined a surface system consisting of non nutrient agar with a uniform bacterial lawn that extended over the agar surface, and a spatially localised central population of amoebae. The amoeba fed on bacteria and migrated over the plate. Automated image analysis techniques were used to locate and count amoebae, cysts and bacteria coverage in a series of spatial images. Most algorithms were based on intensity thresholding, or a modification of this idea with probabilistic models. Our strategy was two tiered, we performed an automated analysis for object classification and bacteria counting followed by user intervention/reclassification using custom written Graphical User Interfaces.