Use of immunomagnetic separation for the detection of Desulfovibrio vulgaris from environmental samples

► Streptavidin-coupled paramagnetic beads and biotin labeled antibodies targeted the separation of viable cells of the sulfate-reducing bacterium, Desulfovibrio vulgaris. ► D. vulgaris cells were captured in both bioreactor grown laboratory samples and from extremely low-biomass environmental samples. ► Field deployable IMS technology may facilitate environmental omics-based studies directly on cells collected from the field.