Flow Cytometry-Based Intact Cell Count Challenges the Conventional HPC

Heterotrophic plate counts (HPC) have been used for more than 130 years as the standard method to quantify bacteria. Yet, it is now widely acknowledged that only a very low and highly variable fraction of waterborne microorganisms are culturable heterotrophic bacteria that can be detected by HPC. That's where new analytical tools like microscopy and flow cytometry (FCM) have provided researchers with enhanced insights into microorganisms at increasingly high resolution. Learn more about this in our recent blog: