Abstract
A wide variety of naturally occurring bacteria cannot be isolated by classical microbiological methods, hindering study of microbial communities. To partially remove this limitation, a method using optical trapping was developed. It allows for one-step isolation of bacteria from a complex community to a pure culture. The method transfers a single bacterium to sterile culture medium using a non-destructive laser beam. The ease with which a previously unculturable cell was cultured by trapping suggests that competition may limit growth in some natural communities of bacteria.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 113-119 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Microbial Ecology |
Volume | 25 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 1993 |