Multiple Choice
Which of the following is most important when washing hands properly to reduce microbial contamination?
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1. Introduction to Microbiology
Introduction to Microbiology
Multiple Choice
Which of the following is an advantage of using a colony counter when conducting a standard plate count in microbiology?
A
It eliminates the need for serial dilution of samples.
B
It prevents contamination of the agar plates during incubation.
C
It allows for the identification of bacterial species based solely on colony appearance.
D
It increases the accuracy and speed of counting bacterial colonies.
Verified step by step guidance1
Understand the purpose of a standard plate count, which is to estimate the number of viable bacteria in a sample by counting colonies formed on an agar plate after incubation.
Recognize that a colony counter is a tool designed to assist in counting bacterial colonies more efficiently and accurately compared to manual counting by eye.
Evaluate each option by considering what a colony counter actually does: it does not eliminate the need for serial dilution, as dilution is necessary to obtain countable colony numbers.
Note that a colony counter does not prevent contamination during incubation, since contamination control depends on aseptic techniques and incubation conditions, not counting tools.
Understand that while colony appearance can provide clues, a colony counter does not identify bacterial species; it only aids in counting colonies, thus increasing the accuracy and speed of the counting process.
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