Nutrient agar plates

[lizzieb]

Wow, thanks guys - we do everything 'wrong' here, it seems. I am slowly working on it, but very scary, and I'm grateful for suggestions and information to pass on to OHS.

[lizzieb]

Happy Birthday, Sue - hope you had a wonderful celebration last night!

[J]

Getting on the band wagon here. Me too please!
julie.reimer1@det.nsw.edu.au

Thanks
Julie

[fibreweb]

Actually I will do a "me too" on the slide show.

At the moment the incubator is in a room off the prep room so the smell is not too bothering. Once I have the upgrade done it will be in the main prep room, actually before this morning I hadn't even thought about it and the smell when it's full of plates. And what may really be on those plates, 8 year 9 classes, and at least 30 plates per class, thats a lot of potentially nasty bugs. maybe horrible pictures will get at least a couple of classes using only peppercorn infusion!

Thanks Wendy wendy.e.browne@det.nsw.edu.au

[Wayne]

Can you send the slide show to me as well please?
wclarke@mountcarmel.tas.edu.au

I think there a few things I need to change before next term, when we do micro pracs. Thanks for the great info.

Thanks!

Wayne

[dolphinscales]

Wow that is a wonderful slide show many thanks for sharing it out.
The teachers here wer most impressed and also asked me to thank you.

your a hit!!!

[RosalieM]

After all these rave reviews, how can I not ask for a copy as well?

murrayr@carinya.nsw.edu.au

Many thanks!
Rosalie

[labman]

Julie, Wendy, Wayne and RosalieM,
I have sent the slideshow to you tonight. Sorry it took me a while. Friday, I was on a training day(out of school) and today was a public holiday in S.A. so I have been enjoying a long weekend.
Let me know of any problems.
Cheers,
Lisa

[J]

Thanks Lisa

Mine arrived and viewed it this morning. Yuck! It's good to know what all these nasties are.

Julie

[cecmel]

Could I belatedly put my hand up for a copy of the slideshow too.

cecilia.melano@ed.act.edu.au

Many thanks
Cecilia

[Lyn]

Hi Lisa,
Could I please have a copy of your slideshow as well? It would be most appreciated thank you. Please send to: lynda.ayr@ntschools.net
Lyn.

[Tim]

Lisa, could I also ask for a copy of your slideshow?
Cheers,

Tim
tbloo11@eq.edu.au

[dime]

I would have thought that exposing the agar plates to the normal things is not subculturing. I take subculturing to mean inoculating with an already known organism, well even an unknown one, but one that is obviously growing. All we do is expose the plates of bits of things that might grow an organism, and then seal them. If you inoculate with mould from food, or yoghurt, that is subculturing, in my mind anyway.

[Whspa]

Yes, that's my understanding too. And opening a petri dish to take a sample of a growing organism to inoculate another petri dish.

[Sassi]

Hi,

Yes you are right! I look into it and that is what subculturing means! It is perfectly safe to take swabs from different locations around the school, as long as they are incubated in less than 30degreeC and as long as the plates remain sealed! Unlucky for me, cause I really hate this prac, although I must say that it was not as bad as last year, when the teachers kept the plates in the incubator for about two weeks, the stench and the state of the plates This year I insisted on 48hours ONLY in the incubator, if they didn't get to them by then, tough, I said I would trhow them out! But I didn't have to, they all behaved and the plates didn't even smell a little bad

Sass

[cecmel]

Thanks Lisa, I enjoyed the slideshow - brought back memories from my dim, very distant past! Once a microbiologist, always a microbiologist???
Incidentally, is there any requirement for teachers to have any sort of basic micro training before they're let loose with a class and some agar plates, or is that just wistful thinking on my part?
Cecilia

[judygee]

Dear Lisa Just catching up - Can I put my hand up for a copy of your sideshow. Many thanks. Judy

judygould@redbendcc.nsw.au

[Shas]

Hi All,
just got back from having some time off to find this thread.
I thought that the bacteria can't go uphill, so maybe that's the thinking behind the design of the agar plate with the overhanging lid??? Is this what the pasteur expt highlights? Correct me if I'm wrong. I still get the students to tape around the plates. When i sterilize agar I put it into a conical flask and put a small beaker over the top to replicate the "overhanging" lid.

Re the incubation of plates for longer than 48hrs, you can always take them out of the incubator at any time and put them in the fridge to stop the growth of any more nasties but the ones already grown remain.

[beanj]

Hi Lisa, Hoping it is still possible for you to email a copy of slide show, it sounds to good to miss out on. My email is jbean@igs.qld.edu.au

Thanks Jay

[SGG]

Hi Lisa
Am I toooo late for a copy of your slide show please? I only got time to get through the different topics today (still got the washing up to do though!). My email address is gils@ngs.nsw.edu.au.
Thanks emormously if you can find the time
Regards
Sue G