Simultaneous monitoring of cell number and metabolic activity of specific bacterial populations with a dual gfp-luxAB marker system

Research was conducted to examine the dynamics of a specific microbial population wherein both the metabolic activity of the cells and the total bacterial biomass have to be evaluated. The objective was to combine the advantageous characteristics of the two biomarkers, gfp and luxAB, for the simultaneous monitoring of metabolic activity and cell number. Results indicate that the dual marker system is applicable to the quantitation of genetically engineered microorganisms in nature.