Molecular biology-based methods for quantification of bacteria in mixed culture: perspectives and limitations

Species-specific enumeration of mixed community is invaluable as it facilitates a better understanding of the significance of the individual strains, their interactions, and the underlying mechanisms of community dynamics. Mixed microbial community has been characterized by microbiological, biochemical, or molecular biology-based methods. While microbiological and biochemical techniques do not provide adequate quantitative information of the members of the consortia and require additional techniques for a more comprehensive analysis, molecular biology-based methods analyze the microbial consortium based on specific DNA sequences and do not require isolation and culturing of bacteria for quantitative analysis. These methods outshine conventional culture-based techniques in terms of better sensitivity, reproducibility, and reliability. Quantitative molecular biology methods have been classified as PCR-based and probe hybridization methods. The PCR-based methods includes quantitative real-time PCR and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism, while fluorescent in situ hybridization and DNA microarrays fall under probe hybridization methods. The workflow, the quantification methods, and their potential applications are discussed in this review by highlighting their advantages and possible limitations.