LiFluor™ Bacteria Cell Viability Kit (1000 rxns)

• Simplicity: Reagents are simultaneously added, no wash steps are required

• Specificity and reliability: Distinct color for live and dead cell

• Versatility: Suitable for fluorescence microscope, flow cytometer or microplate reader

LiFluor™ Bacteria Cell Viability Kit provides two-color fluorescence staining on both live (green) and dead (red) bacteria using two probes, NucView Green and Propidium iodide. NucView Green is a green-fluorescent nucleic acid dye that stains both live and dead bacteria with intact and damaged cell membranes. Propidium iodide is a red-fluorescent nucleic acid dye that stains only dead bacteria with damaged cell membranes. With an appropriate mixture of NucView Green and Propidium iodide, bacteria with intact cell membranes is stained fluorescent green, whereas bacteria with damaged cell membranes is stained fluorescent red. The kit is suitable for use with fluorescence microscopes and flow cytometers. The assay principles are general and applicable to most bacteria types.

A common criterion for bacterial viability is the ability of a bacterium to reproduce in suitable nutrient media that is referred to as growth assays. This kit yields results that correlate well with growth assays in liquid or solid media. Under certain conditions, however, bacteria having damaged membranes may be able to recover and reproduce - such bacteria may be scored as “dead” in this assay. Conversely, some bacteria with intact membranes may be unable to reproduce in nutrient medium, and yet these may be scored as “alive”. Therefore, these situations need to be considered if a vast difference of live and dead bacteria counts is observed between this assay and growth assays.