Raman spectroscopy as a strategy to investigate biofilm

This thesis demonstrated that Raman spectroscopy had been successful in investigating biofilms in three different aspects: 1) The variances of chemical compositions in different metabolic states have been investigated and shown by Raman microspectroscopy, 2) fiber-probe-based Raman spectroscopy is a robust and accurate approach in identifying pre-biofilms at an early stage, 3) fiber-probe-based Raman spectroscopy is a promising method in identifying clinical-related biofilms rapidly and accurately. The results achieved in this thesis represent a small but significant step forward in investigating biofilms. In addition, the results from the fiber probe demonstrate the potential of this method to provide accurate, clinically relevant results for early detection of pathogens, allowing the improvement of patient care when developed for routine clinical diagnostics.