Bacterial colonies growing on agar plates are transferred en masse to nitrocellulose filters. The spatial arrangement of colonies on the plates is preserved on the filters. After transfer, the filters are processed for hybridization to an appropriate radiolabeled probe while the original (master) plate is incubated for a few hours to allow the bacterial colonies to regrow in their original positions.

Protocol: Screening Bacterial Colonies by Hybridization: Intermediate Numbers Protocol