Planktonic Cell Removal
Planktonic Cell Removal - Related Videos
11:47
Concentration of Metabolites from Low-density Planktonic Communities for Environmental Metabolomics using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
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Cited by 15 •
2012
A method for metabolite extraction from microbial planktonic communities is presented. Whole community sampling is achieved by filtration onto specially prepared filters. After lyophilization, aqueous-soluble metabolites are extracted. This approach allows for application of environmental metabolomics to trans-omics investigations of natural or experimental microbial communities.
06:36
Establishing the Minimal Bactericidal Concentration of an Antimicrobial Agent for Planktonic Cells (MBC-P) and Biofilm Cells (MBC-B)
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Cited by 63 •
2014
This protocol allows for a direct comparison between planktonic and biofilm resistance for a bacterial strain that can form a biofilm in vitro using a 96-well microtiter plate. Planktonic or biofilm bacteria are exposed to serial dilutions of the antimicrobial agent of choice. Viability is assayed by growth on agar plates.
07:11
Biofilm Removal Using Carbon Dioxide Aerosols without Nitrogen Purge
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Cited by 2 •
2016
Biofilms on surfaces can be effectively and rapidly removed by using a periodic jet of carbon dioxide aerosols without a nitrogen purge.
03:41
C. elegans Blastomere Dissection: A Method to Remove the Eggshell and Dissociate Embryonic Cells
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2023
This video introduces a method of isolating C. elegans blastomeres from early embryos. The resulting cells are suitable for cell culture or ex vivo experiments.
07:12
Rapid Fibroblast Removal from High Density Human Embryonic Stem Cell Cultures
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Cited by 3 •
2012
Despite ongoing efforts to transition cultures to feeder-free conditions, the derivation and culture of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) remain largely dependent on co-cultures with mouse embryonic feeders (MEFs). Here, we show a novel methodology for rapidly removing feeders from hESC cultures prior to experimentation.
FAQs
Removal conditions determine whether an experiment measures surface-associated growth or a mixture of attached and suspended cells. Incomplete separation leaves free-floating microorganisms behind and can inflate estimates of biofilm biomass or persistence. Conversely, excessive washing may detach members of the adherent community. A balanced protocol therefore protects the developing biofilm while reducing suspended-cell carryover.
Separating suspended cells from adherent communities allows investigators to assess antimicrobial responses in the population of interest rather than averaging distinct growth states. This distinction matters because surface-associated infection models may contain both free-floating and attached organisms. If both fractions remain combined, susceptibility measurements can be difficult to attribute, potentially obscuring differences between suspended growth and biofilm-associated survival.
Technique choice and handling intensity are central variables. Aspiration, washing, centrifugation, filtration, and medium exchange can each remove suspended cells, but the selected approach must suit the sample while preserving adherent communities. The extent and consistency of fluid removal also matter: insufficient treatment causes carryover, whereas overly forceful washing can disturb surface-associated material and alter the measured outcome.
It helps researchers separate free-floating growth from surface-associated infection and examine these states independently. In immunology and infection studies, that distinction supports analysis of bacterial persistence and host-cell interactions without treating suspended organisms as part of the attached community. Measurements become more interpretable when the experiment asks specifically how an adherent population behaves.
After a sample or developing biofilm has been established, investigators apply a controlled separation step such as aspiration, washing, centrifugation, filtration, or medium exchange. They then retain the relevant adherent material for downstream analysis while minimizing suspended-cell carryover. Standardizing the same operation across samples is important because handling differences can create apparent biological differences that actually reflect removal efficiency.
It is useful whenever the experimental question concerns attached biomass, biofilm formation, antimicrobial susceptibility, bacterial persistence, or host-cell interactions. Applying the step before measurement reduces interference from nonattached cells and clarifies which population produced the observed signal. In infection models, this can help distinguish behavior associated with surface residence from effects attributable to organisms remaining in suspension.
By reducing suspended-cell contamination, the process helps researchers attribute measured effects more accurately to adherent communities during host-cell interaction studies. It can also improve evaluation of bacterial persistence and biofilm formation, since the analyzed material is less confounded by free-floating growth. The key is to remove nonattached cells without disrupting the community whose interaction with host cells is being examined.