Mesolens imaging in microbiology

The optical microscope has served as an essential tool for the microbiologist since van Leeuwenhoek’s observations of ‘animalcules’, yet the core design of the objective lens has changed little over the last 100 years and imparts a dichotomy between resolution and field of view. High numerical aperture objectives resolve subcellular detail but sample only small regions, whereas low-magnification objectives capture large areas with limited resolving power. Many microbial processes span the micron-to-centimetre length scales, constraining how spatial heterogeneity, microbial interaction, and rare events can be visualised in intact specimens. This review describes how the Mesolens overcomes this limitation by combining low magnification with high numerical aperture to deliver sub-micron resolution across multi-millimetre fields of view and millimetre-scale depths. We summarise the optical principles and imaging modalities that underpin the Mesolens, including widefield and confocal laser scanning mesoscopy, and emerging implementations such as light-sheet mesoscopy, mesoscopic total internal reflection fluorescence, and standing-wave mesoscopy. We highlight applications where spatial context is essential; the discovery and characterisation of biofilm nutrient transport channels in Escherichia coli, understanding the architecture of cross-kingdom Candida albicans–Staphylococcus aureus biofilms, and translational applications in clinical and environmental microbiology. Finally, we discuss specimen preparation, analysis workflows, and future opportunities in new modalities, computationally guided acquisition, and scalable optical manufacturing. Together, these advances position the Mesolens as a versatile tool to resolve microbial interactions and dynamics across length scales associated with priority areas in microbiology.