Lab: Fomites Flashcards
(14 cards)
What are fomites?
Inanimate objects that may act as transmitters of microbes
Give examples of activities that involve contact with fomites.
- Touching a door handle
- Sitting on a toilet seat
- Making a phone call
What is the potential risk associated with touching fomites?
Transmitting microbes that may be a pathogen
Define the term fomite.
Inanimate objects that may act as transmitters of microbes
What is the first step in determining if a fomite is contaminated with microbes?
Determine what fomite you would like to test, and label a TSA plate
What should you do after swabbing the surface of a fomite?
Streak one corner of your TSA plate and complete the streaking for isolation using an inoculating loop
What should be done with the TSA plate after it is taped?
Incubate until the next class session
What is the second day’s first step in the procedure?
Describe the colony morphology of three types of colonies growing on your plate
What staining technique should be used on each colony described?
Gram stain
What must be included in your laboratory notebook after the experiment?
- RESULTS: Compare your results to others in the class
- CONCLUSION: Draw conclusions about contamination
What should you do with plates and slides after completing the experiment?
Properly dispose of them
Fill in the blank: Fomites have the potential to transmit _______.
microbes
True or False: All fomites are contaminated with pathogens.
False
What is the purpose of twisting the swab while collecting a sample?
To ensure the entire surface of the swab has been used
