How to image individual bacteria with a Foldscope

Aug 29, 2016 • 11:38 PM UTC

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Microorganisms

Manu Prakash

I am a faculty at Stanford and run the Prakash Lab at Department of Bioengineering at Stanford University. Foldscope community is at the heart of our Frugal Science movement - and I can not tell you how proud I am of this community and grassroots movement. Find our work here: http://prakashlab.stanford.edu

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Often in our day to day conversations – germs and specifically bacteria come up. I overhear a mom tell a 4 year old; wash your hands or the bacteria will make you sick. Or; don’t eat the yummy toast you dropped on the floor because the bacteria are on it now. Why doesn’t anyone just show me what these little bacteria look like.
Now; if you have a Foldscope and you have followed the most recent posts on “focus locking” and foeld of view locking – you can image bacteria in almost any field collected sample. Here is a quick video I made on my regular Foldscope (the same one you are holding in your hand). This was done on a sample from the Elkhorn slough – a very special marine ecosystem. What’s special about these little bacteria is that they produce hydrogen sulfide and are found in top layer right under the Water. I will write an extensive post describing the beautiful biology soon; but here is a quick peak at what is to come.