Cultures of uncontaminated bacteria

Question	Answer
What is an uncontaminated cult of bacteria?	It is a culture that only contains selected bacteria – and so is not contaminated with bacteria from anywhere else.
How can bacteria be grown?	Bacteria multiply by simple cell division (binary fission) as often as once every 20 minutes if they have enough nutrients and a suitable temperature. Bacteria can be grown in a nutrient broth solution or as colonies on an agar gel plate.
Why might uncontaminated clutures be needed?	To test the effectiveness of an antibiotic or disinfectant. The most effective bacteria or disinfectant is the one that kills the most bacteria. This does not always mean it is the best one to use however as it may be harmful to health or ineffective against other bacteria.
What is the maximum temperature cultures should be incubated at in school and why?	25 degrees C If you use higher temperatures it increases the likelihood that harmful pathogens can grow.
Why can a higher temperature be used for incubation in industrial laboratories?	To allow more rapid growth of bacteria

Resource summary

	Created by Antonia Rout about 7 years ago