Bacterial lawn

As a lawn of bacteria is known in microbiology a dense seeding of bacteria on a solid medium ( usually an agar plate ). For this purpose, a pure culture of a bacterial strain with an inoculating loop or a Drigalskispatel is evenly distributed on the plate and incubated usually overnight. It comes to an evenly distributed bacterial growth on the agar plate.

The technique of the bacterial lawn is used in microbiological diagnostics to detect the presence of inhibitors ( Inhibitor Test ) or the sensitivity of a particular bacterial strain to different antibiotics to investigate ( antibiogram ). When inhibitor test the bacterial lawn usually consists of a pure culture of Bacillus subtilis ( in medical diagnostics ) or Serratia marcescens ( as a bioindicator in environmental biological studies ). In both test methods according to the spreading of the bacterial lawn, a paper wafer is placed on the test sample or the test antibiotic. After incubation, a zone of inhibition of different sizes indicate an inhibition of bacterial growth.

Swell

• Betty A. Forbes et al.: Bailey & Scott's Diagnostic Microbiology. 12th edition 2007 ISBN 0-323-03065-3

• Bacteriology
• Microbiological test method