Because of the nature of the bacterial endospore, little work has been done on analyzing their elemental distribution and composition in the intact, living, hydrated state. The majority of the qualitative analysis entailed intensive disruption and processing of the endospores, which effects their cellular integrity and composition.Absorption edge imaging permits elemental analysis of hydrated, unstained specimens at high resolution. By taking advantage of differential absorption of x-ray photons in regions of varying elemental composition, and using a high brightness, tuneable synchrotron source to obtain monochromatic x-rays, contact x-ray micrographs can be made of unfixed, intact endospores that reveal sites of elemental localization. This study presents new data demonstrating the application of x-ray absorption edge imaging to produce elemental information about nitrogen (N) and calcium (Ca) localization using Bacillus thuringiensis as the test specimen.
