Microbiology is the study of bacteria, yeasts, parasites and more
Microbiological assays examine mechanisms in bacteria, viruses, and parasites. They are essential for understanding infectious diseases, their spread, treatment, and prevention. Here you can find out how well-suited BMG LABTECH plate readers are for all microbiological approaches.
Many assays assess the growth or reproduction of microbes. Bacteria, fungi and parasites are mainly quantified using the absorbance measurement mode, while the replication of viruses is typically measured by luminescence. All growth and replication assays, including those for bacterial metabolism or bacterial growth, need to be measured over time in order to determine growth rates. Similarly, the effects of bacterial growth can also be determined over time, such as the increasing cytotoxicity induced by intracellular bacterial growth. Time courses can be measured with all BMG LABTECH microplate readers. In addition, the instruments regulates the incubation temperature and atmosphere to desired O2 and CO2 values, generating optimal growth conditions. Next to growth assays, microplate readers can also be used to quantify metabolic products of microorganisms like shown in the application note: Fluorescence analysis of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by six isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus.
BMG LABTECH's multi-mode plate readers can do much more than just growth measurements: they measure how a virus docks onto a cell, how viruses can be neutralized, how bacteria communicate with each other, what helps against biofilms, whether substances have antibiotic effects (including measurements to determine minimum inhibitory concentrations (or MICs), minimum bactericidal concentrations (or MBCs), novel antibiotics and much more. Learn more about virus detection methods and how to detect a virus with a microplate reader. Microplate readers can also be used to study parasites (e.g., Schistosomes).
They can also be used in quality control methods like tests for pyrogens which are needed to ensure the safety of pharmaceuticals, biologics and medical devices.
