[Spm] AFM of bacteral cell surfaces?

[Don Chernoff at ASM]

I'm posting this message on behalf of Scott Coutts of Monash University, who asks about detecting differences in the surfaces of bacteria.  I believe that trying AFM could be useful, but I have not tried this myself.  I am hopeful that one of the SPM Listserver participants can comment on this.  Please send replies and advice to Scott.
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Message as posted on Microscopy Listserver:
 ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: scott.coutts at med.monash.edu.au
  Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2007 9:18 PM
  Hi All,

  We are interested in examination of a bacterial cell surface. We have
  two strains of a bug (one is a mutant of the other). One binds
  environmental proteins to it's surface and one that doesn't. We're
  interested in looking to see if there are any cell surface differences
  (It has been suggested that there may be structural cell surface
  differences in a similar strain of another species). We can't get close
  enough by SEM to see anything useful... Is this the kind of thing that
  could be examined by AFM perhaps? Does anyone here have experience with
  the examination of bacterial cell surface structures by AFM?

  Cheers,

  -- 
  Scott J. Coutts
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Bacterial Pathogenesis Research Group
      Department of Microbiology
      Box 53, Monash University, 3800, Australia
      Phone +61 3 9905 8592, Fax +61 3 9905 4811
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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regards,
Don
=============================================
Don Chernoff, Ph.D., President
Advanced Surface Microscopy, Inc.    E-Mail:  donc at asmicro.com
3250 N. Post Rd., Ste. 120           Voice:   317-895-5630
INDIANAPOLIS IN 46226  USA      Toll free: 800-374-8557 (in USA & Canada)
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[business activities:  analytical services in AFM, AFM probes, consulting, training,
calibration and test specimens, calibration and measurement software,
 used NanoScope equipment.]
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