Although smaller and simpler than their eukaryotic counterparts, bacteria are an incredibly diverse group of organisms that come in multiple shapes, sizes, and arrangements. Colony counting is a highly variable and unreliable, as it is only an estimate of the viable cells present. Even expensive flow cytometers and laser scanning cytometers register each particle, single or clustered, as a single event. The QUANTOM Tx™ Microbial Cell Counter is an image-based, automated cell counter that can detect individual bacterial cells in mere minutes. Its novel bacteria-optimized cell detection software can count individual bacterial cells in even the tightest clusters.