How do scientists grow Micro-Organisms?

Question

I no about organisms, but cant seem to find awnsers to this q anywhere?? help!

Answer 1

Easy.

The most simple way is to just put microbes on the stuff that you found them on.

If you found it on bread, sterilize some bread and then put a small amount onto that bread.

The most common ingredients in growth media are sterilized blood and sterilized yeast. These two media have all the nutrients needed for most microorganisms. You just put the microorganisms into the medium with some sterile water and let it grow.

You can also put jello-like agarose heated with the yeast extract and you get a flat surface to grow bacteria on. On the flat surface you can let the bacteria grow and pick specific looking growths into media to separate different organisms.

Fleming, who discovered pennicilin, put his plates on a window sill to grow. We now use incubators that can keep airborn microbes from getting in.

If you want to read a good story read "Arrowsmith" by Sinclair Lewis. It is about a microbiologist at the turn of the century that goes into medicine. He describes the way that early microbiologist isolated and grew microbes.

Answer 2

I supppose it depends on what type of microorganisms you would like to grow. Most college laboratories order the microorganisms, so they are not readily available.
I grew some E. coli very recently, mhy lab had ordered frozen E. coli cells at -80 degress. Once I thawed them out there is a special media called S.O.C. medium that you put the cells in. At some time not to distant, you find a particular growth media that your microorganism will survive in. I put the E. coli cells in a liquid culture of LB Broth. After this, the cultures are incubated at 37 degreed and this causes drastic amplification of the microorganism. This is really only a small part of how it is all done. There are numerous media types available since not all microorganisms get their enrgy from the same molecules. But the basic jist is get the microorganism into liquid medium or an agar plate where it has plenty of nourishment, then put in a dark warm place overnight, and a community of microorganisms will have formed!

Answer 3

It depends on what you want to grow. Bacteria require a growth medium and warmth, typically between 37-42 degrees C. Some require injection into the media if they can't grow in oxygen. Yeasts and molds follow the same method except they use different mediums and slightly lower temps, about 30 degrees C. Parasites and mammalian cells are grown in culture which means you add them to a flask or bottle and add liquid media to the flask. The cells usually attach to the flask surface and grow across the surface. Parasites will require a host to grow as well.

Answer 4

Microorganisms need several nutrients for their survival. A media containing all these nutrients is used to grow the microorganisms. The media used differs with the kind of organism one want to culture (grow). This is usually done in petridishes or test tubes (as slants). To maintain a constant temperature that is suitable for the growth of the orgainsm, they are kept in incubators.
To grow microbes, all you need to do is prepare the media and take it in a petri dish, and add some microorganisms in it (this is called inoculum...... its like the seeds for growing trees.... just that these are organisms themselves). Keep the petridish in an incubator at an appropriate temperature. Wait for about 24 hours....

Answer 5

They pour a nutrient solution with a jelling agent into a Petri dish. When it has jelled they touch the surface with the kind of microorganisms they want to grow. Then they keep it at an appropriate temperature until colonies of those microorganisms ahe formed on the jelled surface.

If they are doing in for production quantities they can have a whole tank of appropriate nutrients that they inoculate with the microorganism of interest and keep it at the required temperature (and air/no air level).

Answer 6

Bacteria, we grow either in liquid medium flasks, or on nutrient agar plates.

Answer 7

last time i checked, petri dishes and test tubes were still in general use, but i think there are other more sophisticated ways today..