Validating Flow Cytometry as a Method for Quantifying Predatory Bacteria and Its Prey for Microbial Ecology.

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is a predatory, Gram-negative bacteria that feeds on many pathogenic bacteria and has been investigated as a possible solution for mitigating biofilms in different fields. The application depends on more fundamental ecological studies into the dynamics between and their prey. To do so requires an accurate, reliable, and, preferably rapid, way of enumerating the cells.