The effect of refrigerated and frozen storage on the viability of Vibrio vulnificus was evaluated using cell suspensions (1x10(8) CFU/ml). Ethidium bromide monoazide (EMA) was utilized to selectively allow real-time (Rti) PCR amplification of target DNA from viable but not dead cells. Bacterial survivors from the EMA Rti-PCR were evaluated by comparison with the plate count assay following different temperature exposures (-20 and 4 degrees C) every 24 h for 72 h. The log CFU values from the EMA Rti-PCR assays were erroneously higher than that from plate counts. DNA amplification was not completely suppressed by EMA treatment of low temperature destroyed cells suggesting that membrane damage was not sufficient to allow effective EMA penetration into the cells. The optimal concentration of sodium deoxycholate (SD) was also determined to enhance discrimination of viable and dead cells following exposure of cells to low temperatures. The use of 0.01% or less of SD did not inhibit the Rti-PCR amplification derived from viable bacterial cells. A rapid decrease of the log CFU was observed with cell suspensions subjected to frozen storage and a slow decline in the log CFU occurred at 4 degrees C. The combination of SD and EMA treatments applied to cells of V. vulnificus held at -20 degrees C and 4 degrees C resulted in a high level of correlation between the log of CFU (plate counts) and the log of the number of viable cells determined from SD+EMA Rti-PCR.