Flow cytometric enumeration of bacterial in the coral surface mucus layer.

The direct counts of bacteria inhabiting coral mucus were performed by flow cytometry testing four fluorescent dyes (SYBR®Green I, HCS, TOPRO®3, SYTO®62) with three different scleractinian species. Results obtained with SYTO62 were the most reliable based on the comparison with standardized epifluorescence counts and the resolution of cytograms.