Detection of bacteria by fluorescent staining in an expanded buffy coat

摘要

A method for the detection of microorganisms e.g. bacteria in a blood sample comprises staining the microorganisms with a fluorescent dye and observing the fluorescence emission of an expanded buffy coat. The expanded buffy coat is obtained by centrifuging the stained sample in a hematocrit tube containing a float which occupies most of the buffy coat volume. The expanded buffy coat further separates into sub-layers. Intracellular microorganisms congregate in and are detected in the granulocyte sub-layer. The method may be modified to assess phagocytic activity.