Overview
This book explores the usefulness of the techniques of flow cytometry and flow cytoflourimetry in solving some of the most pressing problems encountered by microbiologists. Fourteen chapters, each by a practising expert, illustrate the scope of currently-available instruments for dealing with a diverse set of problems, from the testing of the efficacy of bacterial antibiotics and antifungal agents to the quantitation of low numbers of infective protozoal agents in potable water supplies and marine plankton essential to the carbon cycle. Other topics deal with the fundamental considerations of instrument design, basic mechanisms of bacterial growth, division and energy metabolism and neural network analysis of flow cytometric data. No other volume deals specifically with microbiological research or applications to microbial problems. Benefits from the book include early diagnosis of contaminants in industrial processes and rapid quantitation of microbial populations.