LABORATORY EQUIPMENT AND THEIR USES

PETRI DISH
• Used to culture microorganisms in solid media.
o Solid media is used for the surface growth of
microorganisms and allows us to observe their colony
appearance.

CULTURE TUBES
• Used to hold, mix, and heat contents needed for culture media.
o Tubed media is used for biochemical tests and broth
media.

GLASS SLIDES
• Used in staining and observing under the microscope.

HANGING DROP SLIDE

• Used to observe the motility of the bacteria.

INOCULATING LOOP & NEEDLE

• Loop: Used for transferring microorganisms and for streaking in
plated media.
• Needle: Used for transferring microorganisms and for streaking
in tube media.

ALCOHOL LAMP
• Used to sterilize the inoculating loops and needles, heat-fixing
smears, as well as the flaming of petri dishes and tubes during
transfer of microorganisms.
GLASSWARE
• Beakers: Used to contain or store liquids and solutions.
• Erlenmeyer Flasks: Used to prepare media.
• Graduated Cylinder: Used to measure liquids.

FORCEPS
• Used for gripping and manipulating small or delicate objects.

AUTOCLAVE
• An indispensable equipment for sterilization.
• Provides a high-pressure steam, which is widely used because
of its efficiency, speed, and reliability.
• To be effective, the autoclave must reach and maintain a
temperature of 121° C for at least 15-30 minutes by using
saturated steam under at least 15 psi of pressure.

STAINING RACK
• Designed for the simultaneous staining of slides.

WASH BOTTLE
• Contains distilled water that is used to wash stains from glass
slides.

WATER BATH
• Used to steam or heat liquids and solutions.
• Its uses in microbiology are in incubation, media preparation,
and maintaining temperature.

HOT PLATE
• Provides heat to solutions and materials uniformly.
• In the microbiology laboratories, hot plate serves their purpose
in making agar media and biochemical media.
COLONY COUNTER
• Used to count colonies of bacteria growing on a culture plate.

VERNIER CALIPER
• Measures the zone of inhibition.
o Zone of Inhibition - Area around the antibiotic disk in
which the bacteria colonies do not grow.

ANTIBIOTIC DISK
• Used for determining antibiotic susceptibility or the extent to
which microorganisms are affected by antibiotics.

APPLICATOR STICK
• Used for routine spot tests, drop transfers, and mixing.

DURHAM’S TUBE
• Inverted tube inside the fermentation tube which actually
captures the gas produced by microorganisms.

CANDLE JAR
• Used for culturing microaerophilic and anaerobic
microorganisms (needs CO2).

INCUBATOR
• Device used to grow and maintain microbiological cultures.
• Maintained at 37 degrees Celsius since microorganisms grow
best in human body temperature.
REFRIGERATOR
• Used in the microbiology section for storing or preserving
cultures, media, and many sensitive materials.

BIOSAFETY CABINET
• Used to reduce contamination of bacteria and assures to
provide an aseptic working area.