page_title: Agar plate
section_title: Fungal media
hierarchical_section_title: Agar plate / Types / Fungal media
caption_attribution_description: ID#: 4248 Description: This is a bottom view of a Sabouraud’s dextrose agar plate culture growing a Mexican isolate of T. rubrum var. rodhaini. Dermatophytic members of the genus Trichophyton are some of the leading causes of hair, skin, and nail infections in humans. The genus includes anthropophilic, zoophilic, and geophilic species. Content Providers(s): CDC/Dr. Libero Ajello Creation Date: 1974 Copyright Restrictions: None - This image is in the public domain and thus free of any copyright restrictions. As a matter of courtesy we request that the content provider be credited and notified in any public or private usage of this image.
context_page_description: An agar plate is a Petri dish that contains agar as a solid growth medium plus nutrients, used to culture microorganisms. Sometimes selective compounds are added to influence growth, such as antibiotics.
  Individual microorganisms placed on the plate will grow into individual colonies, each a clone genetically identical to the individual ancestor organism. Thus, the plate can be used either to estimate the concentration of organisms in a liquid culture or a suitable dilution of that culture using a colony counter, or to generate genetically pure cultures from a mixed culture of genetically different organisms.
  Several methods are available to plate out cells. One technique is known as "streaking". In this technique, a drop of the culture on the end of a thin, sterile loop of wire, sometimes known as an inoculator, is streaked across the surface of the agar leaving organisms behind, a higher number at the beginning of the streak and a lower number at the end. At some point during a successful "streak", the number of organisms deposited will be such that distinct individual colonies will grow in that area which may be removed for further culturing, using another sterile loop.
context_section_description: Sabouraud agar is used to culture fungi and has a low pH that inhibits the growth of most bacteria; it also contains the antibiotic gentamicin to specifically inhibit the growth of Gram-negative bacteria.
  Hay infusion agar is specific for the culturing of slime moulds (which are not fungi).
  Potato dextrose agar  is used to culture certain types of fungi.
  Malt extract agar has a high content of peptone and is acidic. It is essentially used in the isolation of fungal microorganisms.
caption: Bottom view of a Sabouraud agar plate with a colony of Trichophyton rubrum var. rodhaini
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