Patent ID: 7582415

Claim:
A method for detecting microcolonies of living target cells in a sample, said method comprising the steps of: (a) depositing living target cells present in said sample in a detection zone comprising a detection area at a density of less than 100 target cells per mm 2 of the detection area, wherein within said detection zone said cells are randomly dispersed and immobilized; (b) allowing the formation of one or more microcolonies of said target cells by in situ replication; and (c) detecting said one or more microcolonies; wherein the longest linear dimension of said detection area is greater than 1 mm; said one or more microcolonies have a measurement of less than 50 microns in at least two orthogonal dimensions; said detecting does not entail magnification of more than 5×; said detecting detects a property of said one or more microcolonies that does not depend on the addition of a signalling moiety or category binding molecule; and said cells in said one or more microcolonies remain competent to replicate following said detecting.