Flow Cytometry as a Tool to Study the Effects of Bacteriocins on Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells

Abstract

Researchers use a combination of techniques to study and contrast the impact of antimicrobials, such as bacteriocins, on sensitive and resistant variants. Flow cytometry is one such technique, which allows researchers to evaluate the activity of antimicrobials at a single-cell level in real-time. The generation of an increasing number of probes/dyes that can be used in flow cytometry studies has vastly expanded the potential applications of this technique. Furthermore, flow cytometry has the potential to replace, or at the very least be used as an adjunct to traditional growth-based techniques, including viable plate counts, growth curves, microscopic analysis and cell culture, many of which have limitations when used on their own. Here we review studies conducted using flow cytometry as a technique to assess the impact of antimicrobials from the bacteriocin family on individual cells, either prokaryotic or eukaryotic.