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Bacteria specific fluorescent dye - (Sep/12/2012 )

I could really use a fluorescent dye with following two characteristics:
- high specificity against all bacteria species
- no specificity against mammalian cells

Is that pure imagination or does such a dye exist?

-balmer-

It would be very hard to get one that is specific for ALL bacterial species - think about differences in cell wall etc.

-bob1-

You can use FISH (or variants) with universal bacterial probes, but it will hybridize with mitochondria too.

-El Crazy Xabi-

bob1 on Wed Sep 12 21:50:33 2012 said:


It would be very hard to get one that is specific for ALL bacterial species - think about differences in cell wall etc.


You are of course right. A couple of dyes to cover, maybe not all bacteria species, but as many as possible could also be interesting. As long as they do not simultaneously stain mammalian cells.

-balmer-

El Crazy Xabi on Thu Sep 13 05:18:06 2012 said:


You can use FISH (or variants) with universal bacterial probes, but it will hybridize with mitochondria too.


Thank you. FISH could be an option, but i think it will be much more expensive than a dye?

-balmer-

balmer on Thu Sep 13 07:11:05 2012 said:


El Crazy Xabi on Thu Sep 13 05:18:06 2012 said:


You can use FISH (or variants) with universal bacterial probes, but it will hybridize with mitochondria too.


Thank you. FISH could be an option, but i think it will be much more expensive than a dye?


It will, but I really doubt you will get any specific dye. Bacteria (and don't know if you want to include Archaea too) are too heterogeneous for that.

Even clasical bacteria stains will colour your mammalian cells. It would be easier find a specific mamalian dye and counterstain everything else with DAPI for example, but it would probably need antibodies wich is even more expensive.

Do you want to do something specific or just asking to know?

-El Crazy Xabi-