Utility of green fluorescent nucleic acid dyes and aluminum oxide membrane filters for rapid epifluorescence enumeration of soil and sediment bacteria.
High background fluorescence and unspecific staining hampered the epifluorescence enumeration of bacteria in 45% of the tested soil and sediment samples with 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and polycarbonate membrane filters. These problems of the determination of total cell counts can be circumvented by using green fluorescent high-affinity nucleic acid dyes and aluminum oxide membrane filters. Due to the bright staining of cells, we recommend SYBR Green II as dye.
Weinbauer
M G
MG
GBF-National Research Center of Biotechnology, AG Microbial Ecology, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany. mgw@gbf.de
Beckmann
C
C
Höfle
M G
MG
D000537:Aluminum Oxide; D000864:Antarctic Regions; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D005858:Germany; D007211:Indoles; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D014871:Water Microbiology
D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D007211:Indoles; D009930:Organic Chemicals; C098798:SYBR Green II; C007293:DAPI; D000537:Aluminum Oxide