Aeseptic Technique and Cell Culture 1.1 Flashcards
what is aseptic technique?
it eliminates unwanted microbial contaminants when culturing microorganisms or cells
how can a microbial culture be started?
- using an inoculum of microbial cells on an agar medium
- in a broth with suitable nutrients
what does serum in culture provide?
growth factors
what are animal cells grown in?
a medium containing growth factors
how can primary cell lines divide?
a limited number of times
how can tumour cell lines divide?
they can perform unlimited divisions
what does plating out of a liquid microbial culture on a solid medium allow?
- the number of colony-forming units to be counted
- the density of cells in the culture estimated
what is serial dilution needed for?
to achieve a suitable colony count
what are haemocytometers used for?
to estimate cell numbers in a liquid culture
what is vital staining required for?
to identify and count viable cells
why do only dead cells become stained?
functional cell membranes prevent dye getting through so only dead cells become coloured
what is a viable cell count?
the number of living cells
