Despite the surge of microbial genome data, experimental testing is important to confirm inferences about the cell biology, ecological roles and evolution of microorganisms. As the majority of archaeal and bacterial diversity remains uncultured and poorly characterized, culturing is a priority. The growing interest in and need for efficient cultivation strategies has led to many rapid methodological and technological advances. In this Review, we discuss common barriers that can hamper the isolation and culturing of novel microorganisms and review emerging, innovative methods for targeted or high-throughput cultivation. We also highlight recent examples of successful cultivation of novel archaea and bacteria, and suggest key microorganisms for future cultivation attempts.

尽管微生物基因组数据激增，但实验测试对于证实有关微生物的细胞生物学、生态作用和进化的推论仍然很重要。由于大多数古菌和细菌多样性仍未培养且特征不明，因此培养是当务之急。人们对高效栽培策略日益增长的兴趣和需求导致了许多方法和技术的快速进步。在本综述中，我们讨论了可能阻碍新型微生物分离和培养的常见障碍，并回顾了用于靶向或高通量培养的新兴创新方法。我们还重点介绍了最近成功培养新型古细菌和细菌的例子，并为未来的培养尝试提出了关键微生物的建议。