Improving the odds: Artificial intelligence (AI) and the great plate count anomaly

MARBLES researcher Detmer Sipkema from Wageningen University (WU) has published an opinion paper on how artificial intelligence (AI) could help to isolate currently unculturable bacteria. According to next-generation DNA sequencing the big plate count anomaly, the difference between bacteria found in the environment and those that can be isolated in culture from it, is significantly more pronounced and persistent than previously believed. This hinders our basic understanding of bacterial physiology and biotechnological applications of the majority of unculturable bacteria. With big sequence data as a foundation, artificial intelligence (AI) may be a game changer in bacterial isolation efforts and give guidance for the most promising growing media and conditions while channeling limited staff and financial resources.

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Sipkema, D. (2024). Improving the odds: Artificial intelligence and the great plate count anomaly. Microbial Biotechnology, 17(9). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.70004. Repository.