Optical-based methods for studying bacteria are rapidly advancing

By some estimates, there are more than a trillion species of bacteria on Earth. Increasingly, bacteria are being used for bioremediation, medicine, and food production. Now more than ever, it is important to be able to rapidly identify and count bacteria.

McGoverin et al. summarize the state of the field of optical bacterial detection. Limitations and advantages of different optical methods for counting, identifying, and studying bacterial are presented. The authors detail existing gaps where innovations could move the field forward.

“Cost-effective and rapid methods for bacteria enumeration are important for wellbeing and sustainability,” said co-author Cushla McGoverin. “For example, rapid bacteria enumeration ensures food is safe for sale and can minimize wastage due to bacterially spoiled food.”

Bacteria can be cataloged by many methods, including nucleic acid-, structure-, and mass spectrometry-based approaches, but increasingly scientists are turning to optical methods, which are rapid, nondestructive, and require small sample sizes.

Written at the intersection of microbiology, physics, engineering, and chemistry, the perspective outlines standards that could benefit future multidisciplinary approaches, especially from machine learning applications that require uniform datasets. The authors hope physicists and microbiologists can use the perspective as a resource and source of inspiration for future work.

“We have written this perspective to stimulate the development of new optical methods and offer suggestions regarding reporting that could allow for better future implementation of machine learning methods,” McGoverin said.

Source: “Optical methods for bacterial detection and characterization,” by Cushla McGoverin, Craig Steed, Ayomikun Esan, Julia Robertson, Simon Swift, and Frédérique Vanholsbeeck, APL Photonics (2021). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0057787 .