{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]],"date-time":"2026-02-19T19:19:47Z","timestamp":1771528787745,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]],"date-time":"2026-02-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771459200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/publicdomain\/zero\/1.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Winkler Bacterial Overgrowth Research Fund","award":["BRINM 217"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["BRINM 217"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    The study of bacteriophages (phages) and effects on their microenvironments expanded exponentially within the last decade. While there are multiple described methods for phage quantitation, there is still a need for a rapid, label-free method. To this end, we established a procedure for rapid phage quantitation through novel use of a particle size analyzer with Polarization Intensity Differential (PIDS) technology and eliminated the need for labels or knowledge of bacterial host. We validated the procedure and analysis method, termed PhageFOTO (Fast Optical Tallying of Objects) using several physiologically different phages ranging from ~6 nm capsid width (\n                    <jats:italic>Inoviridae<\/jats:italic>\n                    ) to ~90 nm capsid width (\n                    <jats:italic>Caudoviricetes<\/jats:italic>\n                    ). PhageFOTO demonstrated 89\u2009\u00b1\u20094.3%, 98\u2009\u00b1\u20091.7%, and 94\u2009\u00b1\u20092.7% accuracy for quantitating PhiX, M13, and T4 phages\/mL respectively as compared to the gold standard plaque assay with limit of detection for particle concentration occurring around 10\n                    <jats:sup>7<\/jats:sup>\n                    phages\/mL. PhageFOTO proved to be a novel, rapid, label free method for phage counting that does not rely on knowledge of the bacterial host presenting unique capability for quantitation of phage samples.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0343131","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]],"date-time":"2026-02-19T18:36:12Z","timestamp":1771526172000},"page":"e0343131","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Rapid bacteriophage quantification with a particle size analyzer combined with polarization intensity differential scattering (PIDS) detector"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9089-2601","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Amanda","family":"Carroll-Portillo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Cody A","family":"Braun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Edgar","family":"Martinez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Henry C","family":"Lin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0343131.ref001","article-title":"Myriad applications of bacteriophages beyond phage therapy","volume":"11","author":"JC Garc\u00eda-Cruz","year":"2023","journal-title":"PeerJ"},{"key":"pone.0343131.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"594868","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2020.594868","article-title":"Bacteriophage Enumeration and Detection Methods","volume":"11","author":"N Acs","year":"2020","journal-title":"Front Microbiol"},{"key":"pone.0343131.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"97","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-60327-164-6_11","article-title":"Enumeration of bacteriophages using flow cytometry","volume":"501","author":"CPD Brussaard","year":"2009","journal-title":"Methods Mol Biol"},{"key":"pone.0343131.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"175","DOI":"10.1016\/S0166-0934(99)00167-6","article-title":"Flow cytometric detection of viruses","volume":"85","author":"CP Brussaard","year":"2000","journal-title":"J Virol Methods"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0343131.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1128\/jvi.01717-24","article-title":"Flow virometry: recent advancements, best practices, and future frontiers","volume":"99","author":"C Fernandes","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Virol"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0343131.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"18625","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-020-75490-y","article-title":"A rigorous assessment and comparison of enumeration methods for environmental viruses","volume":"10","author":"J Kaletta","year":"2020","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0343131.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"109","DOI":"10.1007\/s10616-011-9415-0","article-title":"Flow cytometry: retrospective, fundamentals and recent instrumentation","volume":"64","author":"J Picot","year":"2012","journal-title":"Cytotechnology"},{"issue":"12","key":"pone.0343131.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1128\/aem.01744-23","article-title":"Viral enumeration using cost-effective wet-mount epifluorescence microscopy for aquatic ecosystems and modern microbialites","volume":"89","author":"M Bellanger","year":"2023","journal-title":"Appl Environ Microbiol"},{"key":"pone.0343131.ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"175","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-0716-3549-0_11","article-title":"Flow virometry: a fluorescence-based approach to enumerate bacteriophages in liquid samples","volume":"2738","author":"EA Dlusskaya","year":"2024","journal-title":"Methods Mol Biol"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0343131.ref010","article-title":"Molecular imaging of T4 phage in mammalian tissues and cells","volume":"4","author":"Z Ka\u017amierczak","year":"2014","journal-title":"Bacteriophage"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0343131.ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"35","DOI":"10.1016\/S0166-0934(00)00166-X","article-title":"Green fluorescent protein as a probe of rotational mobility within bacteriophage T4","volume":"88","author":"JM Mullaney","year":"2000","journal-title":"J Virol Methods"},{"key":"pone.0343131.ref012","first-page":"100025","article-title":"Colloid chemistry pitfall for flow cytometric enumeration of viruses in water","volume":"2","author":"EA Dlusskaya","year":"2019","journal-title":"Water Res X"},{"key":"pone.0343131.ref013","first-page":"6","article-title":"Performance evaluation of four commercial optical particle counters","author":"F Belosi","year":"2013","journal-title":"Atmospheric and Climate Sciences"},{"key":"pone.0343131.ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105452","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jaerosci.2019.105452","article-title":"Calibration of optical particle counters with an aerodynamic aerosol classifier","volume":"138","author":"N Sang-Nourpour","year":"2019","journal-title":"J Aerosol Sci"},{"issue":"9","key":"pone.0343131.ref015","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"535","DOI":"10.1080\/15459624.2010.496072","article-title":"Use of a condensation particle counter and an optical particle counter to assess the number concentration of engineered nanoparticles","volume":"7","author":"LH Schmoll","year":"2010","journal-title":"J Occup Environ Hyg"},{"key":"pone.0343131.ref016","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"388","DOI":"10.1179\/oeh.2010.16.4.388","article-title":"Ambient air sampling during quantum-dot spray deposition","volume":"16","author":"JT Jankovic","year":"2010","journal-title":"Int J Occupational Environ Health"},{"key":"pone.0343131.ref017","volume-title":"Electromagnetic Theory","author":"JA Stratton","year":"1941"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0343131.ref018","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"328","DOI":"10.3390\/v13020328","article-title":"Standard bacteriophage purification procedures cause loss in numbers and activity","volume":"13","author":"A Carroll-Portillo","year":"2021","journal-title":"Viruses"},{"key":"pone.0343131.ref019","volume-title":"Plaque Assay Protocols","author":"M Panec","year":"2006"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0343131.ref020","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.3390\/pharmaceutics15030752","article-title":"Influence of physicochemical properties of budesonide micro-suspensions on their expected lung delivery using a vibrating mesh nebulizer","volume":"15","author":"K Dobrowolska","year":"2023","journal-title":"Pharmaceutics"},{"key":"pone.0343131.ref021","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"140","DOI":"10.14382\/epitoanyag-jsbcm.2020.23","article-title":"Effect of bauxite grain size distribution on beneficiation and improvement of materials","volume":"72","author":"OB Kotova","year":"2020","journal-title":"Epitoanyag-J Silicate Based and Composite Materials"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0343131.ref022","first-page":"72","article-title":"The coulter principle: foundation of an Industry","volume":"8","author":"MD Graham","year":"2003","journal-title":"JALA: Journal of the Association for Laboratory Automation"},{"issue":"12","key":"pone.0343131.ref023","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1319","DOI":"10.2217\/fmb.14.91","article-title":"Structure and function of bacteriophage T4","volume":"9","author":"ML Yap","year":"2014","journal-title":"Future Microbiol"},{"issue":"18","key":"pone.0343131.ref024","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3927","DOI":"10.1007\/s00216-023-04606-w","article-title":"M13 phage: a versatile building block for a highly specific analysis platform","volume":"415","author":"R Wang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Anal Bioanal Chem"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0343131.ref025","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"383","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jmb.2003.09.050","article-title":"The functions of the N terminus of the phiX174 internal scaffolding protein, a protein encoded in an overlapping reading frame in a two scaffolding protein system","volume":"335","author":"CR Novak","year":"2004","journal-title":"J Mol Biol"},{"key":"pone.0343131.ref026","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"145","DOI":"10.1016\/S0032-5910(03)00048-2","article-title":"Comparison of sizing small particles using different technologies","volume":"132","author":"R Xu","year":"2003","journal-title":"Powder Technology"},{"issue":"9","key":"pone.0343131.ref027","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"875","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tibtech.2018.03.002","article-title":"Phage Aggregation-Dispersion by Ions: Striving beyond Antibacterial Therapy","volume":"36","author":"M Drab","year":"2018","journal-title":"Trends Biotechnol"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0343131.ref028","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"191","DOI":"10.1007\/s12223-011-0039-8","article-title":"The influence of external factors on bacteriophages--review","volume":"56","author":"E Jo\u0144czyk","year":"2011","journal-title":"Folia Microbiol (Praha)"}],"container-title":["PLOS One"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0343131","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]],"date-time":"2026-02-19T18:36:18Z","timestamp":1771526178000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0343131"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Mohammad","family":"Faezi Ghasemi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"editor","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]]},"references-count":28,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0343131","relation":{},"ISSN":["1932-6203"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1932-6203","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]]}}}