TABLE 1.

Estimation of the number of bacteria per spore of G. margarita^a

Spore set	No. of spores used per preparation	Estimated no. of isolated bacteria	Calculated no. of bacteria/spore	Mean (SD) of No. of bacteria/sporec
1	2,000	25 × 106	12,500	12,500 (2,500)
	2,000	2 × 107	10,000
	1,000	15 × 106	15,000
2	1,000	107	10,000
3	10,000	108	10,000
4	22,000	35 × 107	16,000
5	15,000	15 × 107	10,000
6	15,000	2 × 108	13,500
7	500	9 × 106b	18,000	19,000 (1,414)
	500	107b	20,000
8	500	13 × 106b	26,000
9	500	9 × 106b	18,000	18,670 (1,155)
	500	107b	20,000
	500	9 × 106b	18,000
10	40,000	25 × 107	6,300
11	40,000	35 × 107	8,800
12	1,000	4 × 106	4,000	3,690 (470)
	1,000	3 × 106	3,000
	1,000	4 × 106	4,000
	800	3 × 106	3,750

^aBacteria were counted manually when conventional fluorescence microscopy was used or counted with ImagePro Plus software when confocal microscopy was used. The data are rounded numbers.

^bBacterial counts obtained when confocal microscopy was used.

^cMeans shown are for spore set series 1, 7, 9, and 12.