Dataset for ‘photonic disruption of bacterial endospores and rapid dipicolinic acid release’.
Description
This data article documents a dataset describing photonic disruption of bacterial endospores and the associated release of dipicolinic acid (DPA) under pulsed UV laser irradiation. The data were generated by spore preparation and purification of Bacillus subtilis NCIB3610 endospores, germination and chemical control assays to establish theoretical and empirical benchmarks for DPA content. Then a laser irradiation workflow at 355 nm to induce photonic endospore disruption was performed. Data collected comprise spore viability metrics measured as colony-forming units (CFU) before and after irradiation, quantitative DPA measurements obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with terbium(III) complex fluorescence detection, optical characterisation of spore integrity via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and associated qualitative assessments, and thermographic readings capturing temperature changes during irradiation. The dataset includes raw and processed values across multiple replications runs, irradiation times (1-15 minutes), and corresponding control conditions, along with metadata describing instrument settings, calibration standards, and data processing pipelines. Data are structured to support reproducible re-analysis of spore disruption efficiency, DPA release, and the relationship between photonic exposure and biomarker accessibility. Potential reuse scenarios include cross-method comparisons of DPA release efficiency under non-thermal mechanisms, validation of portable biosensor workflows that rely on DPA-based readouts and comparison of scanning electron microscopy of intact and damaged endospores. Access to the dataset is accompanied by documentation detailing variable definitions, file formats, data cleaning steps, and example code for reproducing key calculations (e.g., normalisation of DPA to the 7.3 mg/l reference maximum). This resource is suitable for researchers in microbiology, biosensing, biosecurity, and analytical chemistry seeking to benchmark or extend photonic disruption methods and to develop robust, reagent-free upstream sample processing for endospore detection.
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Institutions
- Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR)North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne