12th International Symposium on Bioluminescence & Chemiluminescence

Symposium abstracts:

A comparison of ATP and adenylate kinase as bacterial cell markers: correlation with agar plate counts

Squirrell, David J., Price, Rachel L., Green, Johnathan C.D.

Dstl Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 0JQ, UK

Bioluminescent assays using either ATP or adenylate kinase (AK) as the target analyte were carried out on Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes. The cells were subjected to a range of stresses including high and low temperatures, oxidising agents and various concentrations of ethanol in water. Colony forming units (cfu) were determined using agar plate counts. AK measurements were shown generally to correlate better with cfu determinations than ATP measurements. The degree of correlation was dependent on the nature of the stresses to which the cells had been subjected. AK, as a protein, may be a better cell marker than the low molecular weight metabolite ATP. However, to obtain the best interpretation of results from rapid bioluminescence methods, consideration should be given to the condition of the cells at the time of assay.

This is a preprint of an article accepted for publication in Luminescence: Copyright 2001 John
Wiley & Sons, Ltd (Wiley website)