1. Academic Validation
  2. Erythrosin B: a versatile colorimetric and fluorescent vital dye for bacteria

Erythrosin B: a versatile colorimetric and fluorescent vital dye for bacteria

  • Biotechniques. 2020 Jan;68(1):7-13. doi: 10.2144/btn-2019-0066.
Josef D Franke 1 Ann L Braverman 1 Alison M Cunningham 1 Erin E Eberhard 1 Greg A Perry 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Biology, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178, USA.
  • 2 Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178, USA.
Abstract

Rapidly assaying cell viability for diverse bacteria species is not always straightforward. In eukaryotes, cell viability is often determined using colorimetric dyes; however, such dyes have not been identified for bacteria. We screened different dyes and found that erythrosin B (EB), a visibly red dye with fluorescent properties, functions as a vital dye for many Gram-positive and -negative bacteria. EB worked at a similar concentration for all bacteria studied and incubations were as short as 5 min. Given EB's spectral properties, diverse experimental approaches are possible to rapidly visualize and/or quantitate dead Bacterial cells in a population. As the first broadly applicable colorimetric viability dye for bacteria, EB provides a cost-effective alternative for researchers in academia and industry.

Keywords

bacteria; cell viability; flow cytometry; membrane-exclusion dye; microscopy; vital dye.

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