- Water sample, 100%
- Water sample diluted to 1 in 10 with sterile water to provide a better population spread
- Mud collected from the mud/water interface
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| Water and mud samples from the 3 collection points. |
As there were three different samples and seven different media, not counting the marine broth which was inoculated in test tubes, it was necessary to label and streak 63 plates. This was another part of my learning curve. I was not familiar with plating solutions and by adding too much liquid, I swamped the media with culture. All 63 plates had to be redone. Luckily I had prepared sufficient plates!
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| Streaked plates ready to be incubated. |
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I'm very proud to have been allocated my own incubator for the length of the project.
Environmental samples are incubated at 25 degrees C.
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As the project progresses, it will be necessary to manage more and more plates, to keep clear, systematic records and to be able to identify trends. When a bacteria flourishes on a particular medium and a colony can be clearly seen, it is necessary to sub it, to further isolate the culture until, eventually, a pure strain is isolated. I have developed an XL sheet to record this.
