ViralPlaque: a Fiji macro for automated assessment of viral plaque statistics

laque assay has been used for a long time to determine infectious titers and characterize prokaryotic and eukaryotic viruses forming plaques. Indeed, plaque morphology and dimensions can provide information regarding the replication kinetics and the virulence of a particular virus. In this work, we...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cacciabue, Marco Polo, Curra, Anabella Paola, Gismondi, Maria Ines
Format: Artículo
Language:Inglés
Published: PeerJ 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:https://peerj.com/articles/7729/
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/6233
https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7729
Description
Summary:laque assay has been used for a long time to determine infectious titers and characterize prokaryotic and eukaryotic viruses forming plaques. Indeed, plaque morphology and dimensions can provide information regarding the replication kinetics and the virulence of a particular virus. In this work, we present ViralPlaque, a fast, open-source and versatile ImageJ macro for the automated determination of viral plaque dimensions from digital images. Also, a machine learning plugin is integrated in the analysis algorithm for adaptation of ViralPlaque to the user’s needs and experimental conditions. A high correlation between manual and automated measurements of plaque dimensions was demonstrated. This macro will facilitate reliable and reproducible characterization of cytolytic viruses with an increased processing speed.