Bacterial lawn

Bacterial Lawn

A bacterial lawn is a uniform layer of bacteria that is grown on the surface of a solid growth medium, such as agar in a petri dish. The term "lawn" is used to describe the appearance of the bacteria, which is similar to a field of grass when viewed from above.

Formation

The formation of a bacterial lawn begins with the inoculation of the growth medium with a bacterial culture. This is typically done by spreading a small amount of the culture across the surface of the medium using a sterile inoculating loop. The petri dish is then incubated at a suitable temperature to allow the bacteria to multiply and form a visible layer.

Uses

Bacterial lawns are used in a variety of microbiology and molecular biology experiments. One common use is in the testing of antibiotics. Small discs soaked in different antibiotics can be placed on the bacterial lawn, and the effectiveness of the antibiotics can be determined by measuring the size of the clear zones, or zones of inhibition, where the bacteria have been killed.

Bacterial lawns are also used in bacteriophage research. When a bacteriophage infects a bacterium in the lawn, it causes a clear spot, or plaque, to form. By counting the number of plaques, researchers can determine the number of bacteriophages in a sample.

See Also

• Microbiology
• Bacteriophage
• Antibiotics
• Agar
• Petri dish
• Inoculating loop
• Culture
• Zones of inhibition
• Plaque

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