The return of a forgotten ally: tabletop scanning electron microscopy in the realm of bacteriology

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is re-emerging as an accessible method in bacteriology, driven by technological advances that produced the powerful and compact tabletop SEM. This review highlights recent advances (2015-2025) demonstrating how novel tabletop SEM delivers rapid, high-resolution, and accurate results that can transform both fundamental and clinical bacteriology. Several studies consistently demonstrate the utility of tabletop SEM in basic research, such as studying biofilms, building antibacterial coated material, and describing bacteria-environment interactions. In clinical bacteriology, diverse applications have emerged over the past few years placing the tabletop SEM at the forefront of bacterial visualization from clinical samples, reaching accurate descriptions of bacteria-antibiotic interactions and the accurate detection of bacterial morphologic changes following exposure to antimicrobial agents with dramatically reduced turnaround times. When combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), tabletop SEM offers insights into bacterial metabolic states and chemical composition under stress or antimicrobial treatment. In this new era of bacteriology, tabletop SEM truly marks the return of a forgotten ally, empowering the investigative arsenal with speed, robustness, and accuracy in both research and clinical practice.