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Improved preservation of bacterial exopolymers for scanning electron microscopy
Author(s) -
Vandevivere P.,
Baveye P.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
journal of microscopy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.569
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2818
pISSN - 0022-2720
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2818.1992.tb03242.x
Subject(s) - glutaraldehyde , fixative , scanning electron microscope , fixation (population genetics) , chemistry , transmission electron microscopy , lysine , microscopy , electron microscope , microbiology and biotechnology , materials science , biology , chromatography , nanotechnology , biochemistry , amino acid , optics , physics , composite material , cytoplasm , gene
SUMMARY Two methods of sample preparation, originally developed for transmission electron microscopy and better at preserving bacterial exopolymers than the traditional fixation with glutaraldehyde, were adapted for scanning electron microscopy. The first involves a glutaraldehyde‐lysine mixture as a fixative. The second, based on the use of polycationic ferritin, was modified to include a post‐fixation step with either glutaraldehyde or a glutaraldehyde‐lysine mixture. These techniques were found to improve considerably the preservation of exopolymers secreted by three bacterial strains.