Lab.

Three: Types of Bacterial Cultivation

Cultivation of bacteria:
Cultivation is the process of growing microorganisms in culture by taking bacteria from the infection
site (i.e., the in vivo environment) by some means of specimen collection and growing them in the artificial
environment of the laboratory (i.e., the in vitro environment).
Purpose of Culturing:
bacterial cultivation, which has many purposes:
1. To grow and isolate all bacteria present in a clinical specimen.
2. To Obtain pure cultures.
3. To obtain sufficient growth of bacteria to allow identification, characterization, and
4. Sensitivity of bacteria to antibiotics.
5. Estimation of viable counts
6. Maintain stock cultures

Culture methods include:

1.Streak culture 2. Pour plate method 3. Lawn culture
4. Liquid culture 5. Stroke culture 6. Stab culture
7. Swabbing 8. Spreading 9. Aerobic culture
10. Anaerobic culture methods

1- Streak Culture: This method is routinely employed for the isolation of bacteria in pure culture from
clinical specimens. Two methods of streak
a. Streaking on Plate. b-Streaking on slant.
 Figure: Streaking on slant.

Figure: Streaking on Plate

2-Pour Plate Culture: this method is used for counting the colonies by mixed bacterial suspension with
molten agar medium in a Petri dish.

Figure: Pour Plate Method

3-Lawn Culture or Carpet Culture: Lawn cultures are prepared by flooding the surface of the plate
with a liquid suspension of the bacterium. Used for antibiotic sensitivity testing.
4- Liquid Cultures (in broth medium): Liquid cultures in tubes, bottles or flasks may be inoculated by
touching with a charged loop or by Adding the inoculum with pipettes or syringes. This method was used
to increase the number of microorganisms in liquid media.
5-Stroke Culture: Stroke culture is made in tubes containing agar slope or slant. Slopes are seeded by
lightly smearing the surface of agar with loop in a zig-zag pattern, taking care not to cut the agar. Used for
maintenance and preservation of pure cultures
6-Stab Culture: Stabbing by Needle this method is used to study the ability of bacteria to: Grow
with the presence of O2 or not, Motility, Production of some chemical compounds during
metabolism.

Figure: Stabbing Method

7-Swabbing by Swab (on solid medium): Swabbing by swab Used to obtain heavy growth for
some biochemical tests such as sensitivity test and for colony counting.

Figure: Swabbing by Swab

8-Spreading by Spreader (on solid medium): Spreading by spreader Used to spread the bacteria
on the surface of the solid media for colony counting.

Figure: Spreading Methode Figure: Spreader

9-Aerobic culture: For cultivation of aerobes, incubation is done in an incubator under normal
atmospheric conditions. Incubation of cultures at 37°C is standard practice in the culture of bacteria
pathogenic to man.
10-Anaerobic Culture: Anaerobic bacteria require incubation without oxygen by using anaerobic jar or
candle jar.