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Related Experiment Video

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Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations

Monitoring Spatial Segregation in Surface Colonizing Microbial Populations

Published on: October 29, 2016

Fluorometric estimation of surface associated microbial abundance.

Gabriel J Swenson¹, Isaac M Hagenbuch, James L Pinckney

¹Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA. swensong@mailbox.sc.edu

Journal of Microbiological Methods

|January 11, 2012

Summary

This study introduces a fast, simple method using fluorescence to count surface microbes. This technique accurately assesses antibiotic sensitivity in bacteria and algae, improving microbial enumeration and drug testing.

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Quantifying Microorganisms at Low Concentrations Using Digital Holographic Microscopy (DHM)

Quantifying Microorganisms at Low Concentrations Using Digital Holographic Microscopy (DHM)

Published on: November 1, 2017

Area of Science:

Microbiology
Environmental Science
Biotechnology

Background:

Accurate enumeration of surface-associated microbes is challenging.
Traditional methods are often time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Developing high-throughput techniques is crucial for microbial ecology and clinical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a rapid and simple fluorescence-based method for estimating surface-associated microbial cell abundance.
To validate the method's effectiveness in assessing antibiotic sensitivity of various microbial species.
To optimize a silica gel matrix (SGM) for fluorescence applications.

Main Methods:

Utilized SYBRGreen staining for bacterial fluorescence and in vivo chlorophyll a fluorescence for benthic diatoms.
Employed 24 and 48-well microtiter plates for high-throughput analysis.
Assessed antibiotic sensitivity (tylosin, lincomycin, ciprofloxacin) of Vibrio cholerae, a bacterial isolate, and Cylindrotheca closterium.
Developed an improved method for silica gel matrix (SGM) preparation.

Main Results:

Established significant linear relationships between spectral chlorophyll a fluorescence and cell abundance.
Demonstrated strong correlation between microalgal growth rates derived from cell counts and fluorescence.
Successfully applied the spectrofluorometry method for antibiotic sensitivity testing.
Optimized SGM preparation for enhanced fluorescence-based microbial analysis.

Conclusions:

Spectrofluorometry offers an inexpensive and rapid tool for estimating surface-associated microbiota abundance.
The developed method is effective for assessing microbial antibiotic sensitivity.
This high-throughput technique advances microbial enumeration and drug efficacy studies.