APPARATUS FOR COUNTING THE NUMBER OF MICROORGANISMS

摘要

Disclosed is a microorganisms-counting apparatus which can count the number of living microorganisms and the number of dead microorganisms in a sample that contains microorganisms or is suspected to contain microorganisms by using a fluorescent dye and is improved in accuracy compared to the conventional counting apparatus. The apparatus comprises: a trapping means for trapping microorganisms; a mounting means for mounting the trapping means thereon; a fluorescent image-forming means for obtaining a fluorescent image of the microorganisms on the trapping means, wherein the microorganisms are stained with a living/dead microorganism-staining reagent for staining both living microorganisms and dead microorganisms and a dead microorganism-staining reagent for staining only dead microorganisms; a luminescence point-detecting means for detecting a luminescence point from the fluorescent image obtained with the fluorescent image-forming means; and a fluorescence-evaluating means for judging whether the luminescence point corresponds to a living microorganism, a dead microorganism or a debris based on the degree of color of the luminescence point detected with the luminescence point-detecting means. In the apparatus, the number of living microorganisms and/or dead microorganisms which have been judged by the fluorescence-evaluation means is integrated and counted.