TWO-DIMENSIONAL FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY FOR BACTERIAL IDENTIFICATION

The use of two-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy in bacterial identification is greatly aided by the development of rapid data acquisition systems and sophisticated pattern recognition algorithms. Numerous approaches using this multiparameter technique have been explored and have proved to be successful in research scale experiments. They are classified as primary or secondary fluorescence methods. Primary methods are limited to those organisms which produce naturally fluorescent pigments while secondary methods are applicable to virtually all bacteria.