How can we calculate the exact number of the dead cells in a specific population of Candida albicans cells, with or without staining ? If a dye were used, which one is better ?
11/28/18
Dear Lancelot,
You might try staining your cells w/ Trypan Blue. This works with baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Live cells do not pick up the stain, but dead ones do and appear blue under the microscope. This may work with C. albicans. I think we used 0.1% Trypan Blue.
I hope this information helps you.
Bill Colonna Center for Crops Utilization Research, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA [email protected]
Dear Dr. Colonna,
Thanks so much for your answer.
Another question I am interested is: how to identify the dye, trypan blue, stain exact the dead cells ? W.J. Colonna
11/28/18
Dear Lancelot,
Attached are 2 photos of S. cerevisiae. The first photo is that of untreated, live yeast cells + Trypan Blue. The 2nd photo is that of S. cerevisiae killed by exposure to atmospheric plasma, then stained w/ Trypan Blue. (Plasma consists of reactive gas species, e.g., ozone, nitrous oxides, peroxides, O2 radicals, etc. formed by energizing air with high-voltage electricity. These reactive species kill many types of microbes, including yeast.) The photos show what live- and dead yeast cells look like when stained w/ Trypan Blue.
I hope this information helps you. Good luck.
Bill Colonna Center for Crops Utilization Research, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA. [email protected]
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