A New Sensitive, Whole-Cell Hybridization Technique for Detection of Bacteria Involving a Biotinylated Oligonucleotide Probe Targeting rRNA and Tyramide Signal Amplification

A tyramide signal amplification system with biotinylated oligonucleotide probes and streptavidin-horseradish peroxidase was used to increase the sensitivity of fluorescent in situ hybridization techniques. When applied to both gram-negative and -positive bacteria immobilized on glass slides, a 7- to 12-fold amplification of the fluorescence signal was observed relative to that of cells hybridized with fluorescently monolabeled probes. A large proportion (62 to 78%) of bacteria could be detected under starvation conditions and in natural samples from the marine environment. This amplification procedure allows new investigations in marine oligotrophic ecosystems and water quality control.