METHODS OF ASSESSING VIABILITY OF MICROBIAL CULTURES

摘要

The present invention provides methods for rapidly determining the proportion of live, dead and stressed cells in a given microbial culture. The measurement of stressed cells is used as a quantitative indicator of the relative health of the population and the population's ability to withstand long term stress. The present methods comprise the steps of: (i) staining the culture with a combination of membrane-permeable and membrane-impermeable stains; and (ii) quantifiying the population of stressed cells, using the measurement thus obtained as an indicator of the relative health of the population.