How do we calculate the gene transfer frequency when the transconjugant colony count is less than 30 (too few to count)?
I use the formula transconjugant/recipient or donor to calculate conjugation rate but the colony of transconjugant produced was too little.
If you only have a few transconjugant colonies you can still do the calculation but it just may not be terribly accurate. Just present the data as < the calculated figure rounded up. So if you calculate the rate to be 5x10e-8 you can just say the rate is less than 10e-7. Nobody is really going to care if the rate was 2x10e-8 or 6x10e-8 when it is so low.
but be sure the colonies you got are actually transconjugants and not spontaneous mutants, I presume you did all the appropriate controls for that.
I agree with Michael, I would suggest that you add a little more details like what are you trying to conjugate and if it is a solid phase conjugation or liquid conjugation and what kind of antibiotics you are using for counterselection. The rate seems very low to me but is acceptable for certain kinds of conjugation, remember that you should correct for your control conjugation in case you want % relative to a standard condition (what was the rate for that? if it is lower than it should be it makes the results of you experimental condition questionable).
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