title: Automated image analysis to improve bead ingestion toxicity test counts in the protozoan Tetrahymena pyriformis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To improve bead ingestion counts in Tetrahymena pyriformis by automated image analysis as an alternative to direct-counts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fluorescent latex beads were added to T. pyriformis cultures for ingestion tests. The number of beads ingested by 25 cells was counted directly by epifluorescence microscopy and compared with similar data from image analysis. anova indicated that counts were not significantly different (P < 0.05). The image analysis particularly provided advantages in terms of speed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The image analysis is superior to direct beads counting in T. pyriformis particularly in terms of speed of analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The image analysis method is very rapid and will allow many more toxicological analyses to be undertaken with less operator error.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Engenharia Biológica, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal. nelson@iec.um.inho.pt
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Amaral
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lima
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001331:Automation; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000378:metabolism*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008863:Microspheres; D013769:Tetrahymena pyriformis / Q000378:metabolism*; D018675:Toxicity Tests
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes