fast reproduction by binary fission enables bacteria to

( Garland Science, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC, New York, 2011).

Nicklin, BIOS Instant Notes in Microbiology, 4th ed. Sensing of some light/bacteria interaction could be due to reflection, refraction, scattering, or absorptionīacteria are unicellular organisms that lack membrane-bound nuclei or organelles ( Fig. Profiles the biochemicals within cells, e.g., proteins within the cell Sensing for specific structures, generally, on the surface of the bacterial cellĪntibody-based: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunomagnetic separation 6,7 6. Growth of fastidious bacteria on enriched media Growth of non-fastidious bacteria on standard media 1 1. A single colony is assumed to represent a single cell from original suspension Viable and culturable cells grow on solid growth media to produce colonies. This Perspective is intended for physicists interested in developing new optical methods for the study of bacteria and microbiologists in need of an optical technique for bacterial applications. Furthermore, we suggest several parameters that should be considered and recorded when reporting the development of existing and new methods for bacterial characterization.

Laboratory-based methods, translation of these methods to environments outside the laboratory, and methods already in routine use will be discussed. These methods include monitoring of metabolic activity, antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST), and characterization of bacteria in matrices, such as biofilms. This Perspective focuses on optical methods, which have been applied to identification, enumeration, and greater understanding of bacteria. Optical methods have proven to be particularly interesting, given the potential for rapid, non-destructive, high-throughput, and amplification-free measurements that require minimal sample preparation. Growing rates of antibiotic-resistance the increasing global exchange of food products and the use of bacteria for bioremediation, pharmaceutical, and food production mean that there is an increasing need for rapid identification and enumeration of bacteria, which has led to the development of a wide range of methods that can be broadly classified as nucleic acid-based, structure-based, mass spectrometry-based, and optically based ( Table I). This Perspective is intended for physicists interested in developing new optical methods for the study of bacteria and microbiologists in need of an optical technique for bacterial applications.īacteria are ubiquitous in our everyday life, with applications in food production, as probiotics, and in the sustainable utilization of resources as well as their negative implications for food and water safety, food spoilage, and human, animal, and crop infections. Finally, we suggest the parameters that should be considered and recorded when reporting the development of existing and new methods for bacterial characterization. We identify gaps in the existing techniques and avenues for innovation. We have focused primarily on methods that directly measure bacteria and not their effect on the sample matrix or sensing, which requires a biorecognition element (i.e., label specific to some component of the bacterium). This Perspective reviews optical methods, which are applied to identification, enumeration, and greater understanding of bacteria routinely and more importantly at the cutting edge of research, with the aim of identifying gaps and opportunities for development. Optical methods have generated interest given the potential for rapid, non-destructive, high-throughput, and amplification-free measurements that require minimal sample preparation. In response, a wide range of methods are being developed that can be broadly classified as nucleic acid-based, structure-based, mass spectrometry-based, and optically based. Rapid identification and enumeration of bacteria are critical, given the surge of antibiotic-resistance, global exchange of food products, and the use of bacteria for bioremediation, pharmaceutical, and food production.

Fast reproduction by binary fission enables bacteria to