Addressing multiscale microbial challenges using the Mesolens.

Abstract

We provide a brief review of the development and application of the Mesolens and its impact on microbiology. Microbial specimens such as infected tissue samples, colonies surfaces, and biofilms are routinely collected at the mesoscale. This means that they are relatively large multimillimetre-sized samples which contain microscopic detail that must be observed to answer important questions across various sectors. The Mesolens presents the ideal imaging method to study these specimens as no other optical microscope can thanks to its unique combination of low magnification and high numerical aperture providing large field-of-view, high-resolution imaging. We demonstrate the current applications of the Mesolens to microbial imaging and go on to outline the huge potential of the Mesolens to impact other key areas of microbiology.