Microassay to Monitor Bacterial Phagocytosis

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Abstract
The viability and nonviability of bacteria can be differentiated during phagocytosis by acridine orange staining, while extracellular organisms are quenched with crystal violet. Human polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) are obtained from a drop of blood by finger prick. Bacteria are mixed immediately with the phagocytes. The kinetics of ingestion and killing by the PMN were monitored by the short microassay described here and compared with the authors' previously described method. The short method described here is simpler, less costly, takes 60 minutes to perform instead of four hours, and produces similar results.

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