Effects of ethanol, formaldehyde, and gentle heat fixation in confocal resonance Raman microscopy of purple nonsulfur bacteria.

Resonance Raman microscopy is well suited to examine living bacterial samples without further preparation. Therefore, comparatively little thought has been given to its compatibility with common fixation methods. However, fixation of cell samples is a very important tool in the microbiological sciences, allowing the preservation of samples in a specific condition for further examination, future measurements, transport, or later reference.