Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and detection of Bacteria and Archaea cells in fecal samples

Oligonucleotide probes have been used to detect bacteria and archaea that colonize the cattle and pig digestive system.

The Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) is a molecular biology technique that uses oligonucleotides of 15 to 25 nucleotides of length associated with a fluorescent molecule.

In microbiology, the FISH technique utilizes probes targeting ribosomal RNA (rRNA). It is one amongst others, a staining technique that allows the identification, detection and quantification of microorganisms without prior cultivation by means of epifluorescence and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM).

In this study, we describe the usage of the confocal laser scanning microscopy coupled with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), in order to detect and quantify of bacteria and archaea in fecal samples from cattles’ manure and swine slurry.