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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Physical Isolation of Endospores from Environmental Samples by Targeted Lysis of Vegetative Cells
Published on: January 21, 2016
Absorption edge imaging of bacterial endospores with synchrotron radiation
B J Panessa-Warren1, G T Tortora, J B Warren
1Department of Allied Health Resources, State University of New York, Stony Brook 11794.
Abstract:
This article describes a new method of viewing biological specimens by taking advantage of the absorptive characteristics of monochromatic X-rays above and below the absorption edge of a specific element. Bacterial endospores were imaged before and after treatment with an experimental vanadium-containing sporocide using monochromatic synchrotron radiation at the nitrogen absorption edge, and above and below the vanadium LIII absorption edge. This morphological study demonstrates a rapid, easy-to-use method of soft X-ray absorption edge imaging that can be used by the biologist to obtain morphological and elemental information that is not readily accessible using conventional microscopic and analytic techniques.
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