Most‐Probable‐Number Method for Microbial Populations

作者：Martin J. Alexander · 发表于：Agronomy monograph/Agronomy · 年份：1965 · DOI：10.2134/agronmonogr9.2.c49 · 被引用次数：454 · 研究领域：Metabolomics and Mass Spectrometry Studies、Bacterial Identification and Susceptibility Testing、Ecosystem dynamics and resilience

The most-probable-number (MPN) method permits estimation of population density without an actual count of single cells or colonies. It is some-times called the method of ultimate or extinction dilution or, less descriptively, simply the dilution method. This chapter discusses the application of the MPN method for determining the total microbial count in soil. The MPN technique is based on a determination of the presence or absence of microorganisms in several individual aliquots of each of several consecutive dilutions of soil or other material. A prerequisite of the method is that the microorganism whose population is to be determined must be able to bring about some characteristic and readily recognizable transformation in the medium into which it is inoculated, or else the microorganism itself, after it has undergone multiplication, must be easily recognizable in the substrate.