FLOW-CYTOMETRY - FAST AND QUANTITATIVE CHARACTERIZATION OF PARTICLES IN SUSPENSION

The application of flow cytometers for automated and rapid measurements of particles in suspension is presently widely accepted for biomedical applications. Flow cytometers, however, also offer many advantages for determination of (properties of) particles in other application areas. In this paper the potential of flow cytometry for environmental analysis is demonstrated, using examples taken from the analysis of phytoplankton in sea water. Flow cytometry is applied for automated measurement of the species abundance of phytoplankton in sea water, on the basis of the characteristic optical properties of the various algal species. More specific determination of, for instance, toxic phytoplankton could be achieved by making use of selective stains. Another application area is that of functional analysis of phytoplankton species. Here also specific fluorescent stains are used. Examples are presented of viability analysis and of cell cycle analysis, both of phytoplankton species. Other applications of flow cytometry in analytical sciences are discussed.