culturing microorganisms

• bacteria are grown in a 'culture medium'
• bacteria can be grown in a nutrient broth solution or solid agar jelly
• in school, cultures of microorganisms are not kept above 25 degrees celsius because harmful pathogens are more likely to grow above that temperature
• petri dishes and culture medium must be sterilised to kill any unwanted organisms
• if an inoculating loop is used to transfer the bacteria to the culture medium, it should be sterilised first by passing it through a hot flame
• to figure out the effectiveness of a certain antibiotic, calculate the sizes of the inhibition zones on the petri dish