DETERMINATION OF THE ELECTROPHORETIC MOBILITY OF BACTERIA AND THEIR SEPARATION BY CAPILLARY ZONE ELECTROPHORESIS

Conditions for the determination of electrophoretic mobilities of bact eria by capillary electrophoresis (CE) were explored. Most precise val ues are obtained using fused silica capillaries of 1-3 m length (0.25 mm inner diameter), a background buffer with an ionic strength of 0.00 15 mol/L and a pH value of 7-10 at a field strength of 120 V/cm. Capil lary electrophoretic separation of three different bacteria population s on the basis of their mobility differences could be realized. Electr ophoretic band widths of all bacteria populations investigated are rel atively large compared to molecule bands. It finds its explanation in the different distribution of surface charge density to cross-sectiona l area of each single cell of a population.