What is a bacterial culture?
Bacterial culture is a cultivated colony of bacteria grown in the laboratory for various purposes, from the diagnosis of patient to scientific research. Cultures can grow hours or days and may require special care because some bacteria are very strong about their environment. Laboratory technicians usually follow a specific set of procedures for standardizing the culture process and increasing chances of success.
Successful cultures require a good sample. Doctors can use swabs to collect samples from the site of infection, or they can send blood, urine and other fluids for culture. In the case of environmental research, soil samples, infected tissues from plants and water may be useful for bacterial culture. The sample must be stored in optimal conditions to ensure the survival of bacteria until they reach the laboratory.
There are several ways to set bacterial culture. One of the most common is Petri's bowl. The technician prepares a shallow meal filled with a gel, usually made of agar, part of the seashorethe algae. The gel contains nutrients to support bacteria after their introduction. Another option is the broth of nutrients where bacteria will be suspended in the liquid. In both cases, bacterial culture goes to the incubator to support growth and techniques regularly check it.
As bacteria begin to grow, they can cause visible changes in the culture medium. Stripes and dots may occur and colonies can change different colors when spreading. The technician can use a microscope to explore bacteria and learn more about them with testing such as gram coloring. Technicians can also add antibiotics to culture to test the sensitivity of antibiotics. If bacteria die, it means that drugs work, and if bacteria still grow, it means that they are resistant to a particular drug.
doctors can order a bacterium culture if they believe that the patient has an infection and wants to confirm the presence of the disease and determine the most appropriate medication totreatment. Scientists grow bacteria to identify useful compounds, learn more about their role in the environment, and extract bacterial toxins for research. Laboratories must observe careful protocols of bacterial culture to reduce contamination, infection and other concerns. Most are subject to inspection by regulatory officials to ensure that appropriate security measures are taken.