PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Casey, Warren M.
AU  - Nguyen, Ngoc-Anh T.
TI  - Use of the Green Fluorescent Protein to Rapidly Assess Viability of E. coli in Preserved Solutions
DP  - 1996 Nov 01
TA  - PDA Journal of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology
PG  - 352--355
VI  - 50
IP  - 6
4099  - http://journal.pda.org/content/50/6/352.short
4100  - http://journal.pda.org/content/50/6/352.full
SO  - PDA J Pharm Sci Technol1996 Nov 01; 50
AB  - E. coli strain HB101 was genetically engineered to a fluorescent phenotype by transformation with a plasmid containing complementary DNA for a green fluorescent protein. The level of fluorescence in the transformed strain was directly proportional to the number of viable cells. There was a rapid decrease in fluorescence when transformed cells were inoculated into lamivudine solutions containing ten different preservative formulations. The decrease in fluorescence correlated to a decrease in the number of viable cells, allowing the relative antimicrobial properties of each solution to be compared. This method provides a simple, rapid (<2 min./assay), and accurate means of determining the effects of antimicrobial solutions on the viability of E. coli.