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Related Experiment Videos

Comparison of two direct-count techniques for enumerating aquatic bacteria.

W B Bowden

    Applied and Environmental Microbiology
    |May 1, 1977
    PubMed
    Summary

    Nuclepore filters yielded higher planktonic bacteria counts than Sartorius filters. No significant difference was found between microscopy techniques when using Nuclepore filters for estuarine bacterial enumeration.

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    Area of Science:

    • Microbiology
    • Estuarine Ecology
    • Environmental Science

    Background:

    • Accurate enumeration of planktonic bacteria is crucial for understanding estuarine ecosystem dynamics.
    • Different membrane filter materials and microscopy techniques can influence bacterial counts.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To compare the efficiency of Nuclepore (polycarbonate) and Sartorius (cellulose) membrane filters for concentrating estuarine planktonic bacteria.
    • To evaluate the consistency of bacterial counts obtained using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and epi-illuminated epifluorescence microscopy (EFM).

    Main Methods:

    • Planktonic bacteria from estuarine water samples were concentrated using 0.2-micron Nuclepore and Sartorius membrane filters.
    • Bacterial concentrations were determined using both scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and epi-illuminated epifluorescence microscopy (EFM).
    • Statistical analysis (t-tests) was performed to compare filter types and microscopy techniques.

    Main Results:

    • Significantly higher bacterial counts were obtained with Nuclepore filters compared to Sartorius filters (P < 0.001).
    • No statistically significant difference in bacterial counts was observed between SEM and EFM when Nuclepore filters were used (0.5 < P < 0.9).
    • Estimated bacterial abundance ranged from 10^6 to 10^7 cells/mL, with an average cell volume of 0.047 µm³.

    Conclusions:

    • Nuclepore filters are more effective than Sartorius filters for the quantitative recovery of estuarine planktonic bacteria.
    • Both SEM and EFM provide comparable results for bacterial enumeration when used with Nuclepore filters.
    • The study provides essential data on estuarine bacterial biomass and informs best practices for microbial ecology research.

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