A comparison of the traditional method of counting viable cells and a quick microplate method for monitoring the growth characteristics of Listeria monocytogenes

Aims:  To determine: (i) the growth parameters (specific growth rate, lag time, asymptotic amount of growth, generation time and time for maximum growth rate) of Listeria monocytogenes in different broths by standard cultivation methods and (ii) whether a microplate method in conjunction with a stan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Letters in applied microbiology 2004-03, Vol.38 (3), p.181-184
Main Authors: Horáková, K., Greifová, M., Seemannová, Z., Gondová, B., Wyatt, G.M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacteriological Techniques - standards
Biological and medical sciences
Colony Count, Microbial - methods
Culture Media - chemistry
Densitometry
enrichment media
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
growth curves
growth rate
inoculum
Kinetics
Listeria monocytogenes
Listeria monocytogenes - growth & development
Microbiology
nondedicated plate reader
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Summary:Aims:  To determine: (i) the growth parameters (specific growth rate, lag time, asymptotic amount of growth, generation time and time for maximum growth rate) of Listeria monocytogenes in different broths by standard cultivation methods and (ii) whether a microplate method in conjunction with a standard nondedicated plate reader could be adapted to routine assay. Methods and Results:  Growth curves were determined from cell numbers in a standard tube method at 2 h intervals by serial dilution and plating, and in a microplate method by absorbance measurements. Growth curves were fitted with a modified Gompertz function. Conclusions:  The microplate method was similar to the standard cultivation methods in accuracy, required less chemical reagents, and considerably reduced the time required for analyses. This work also illustrates that growth characteristics of bacteria are not necessarily constant, and depend on the methodology used. Significance and Impact of the Study:  It is not the intended purpose of this paper to present all the data for the media tested but instead to illustrate the success of the microplate method for studying growth kinetics compared to a standard cultivation method and system precission. The method will be of considerable benefit to laboratories unable to afford dedicated workstations.
ISSN:0266-8254
1472-765X
1365-2673
DOI:10.1111/j.1472-765X.2004.01448.x