How to test for Alcanivorax borkumensis?

[deleted-800657]

I'm working on a project to determine the efficiency of the oil eating bacteria Alcanivorax borkumensis. Is there any way to know IF there are live Alcanivorax borkumensis microbes in the water? Can this be tested? And is there a way to say what the concentration of microbes is in a solution? This project is about the question how fast a certain amount/concentration of Alcanivorax borkumensis can eat oil.

[MadelineB]

The Ask the Expert forums are for students in grades K-12 and their teachers and parents who are working on hands-on science projects. If you are a student, please tell us more about your science project, including your hypothesis and the experiments you plan to conduct to test the hypothesis. Otherwise, there are other sites on the internet where your questions would be more appropriate. Thank you.