[Flow cytometry in microbiology]

Flow cytometry is a method that allows simultaneous measurement and analysis of physical and chemical characteristics of cells or other biological particles during their passage through the laser beam. Although this method is mainly used in the study of cell differentiation and functional analysis of eukaryotic cells, the basic principles of flow cytometry can be applied to microorganisms. Methods based on the analysis of a single cell, such as flow cytometry, in combination with measurement of cell viability using special fluorescent probes allow a deeper insight into the diversity of populations and functioning of microbial communities and also facilitate understanding the phy-siological diversity of seemingly similar acting populations. When using specific fluorescent dyes for the selective labeling of selected species of microorganisms, the method is potentially very specific. The aim of this paper is a brief overview of applications of flow cytometry, which can be used in microbiology.