10.1: Learning Objectives

Bio 221Lab: Introduction to Microbiology · LibreTexts

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    From LibreTexts, under CC BY, as the source states it; its equations are written in TeX, which the PDF shows typeset. This page at LibreTexts.

    Learning Objectives

    After this lab you should be able to:

    1. Perform a serial dilution on a bacterial culture.
    2. Design a dilution scheme for a Standard Plate Count.
    3. Determine the final dilutions in a serial dilution and the # of CFU/ml (cell density) of the original sample.
    4. Utilize the Spectrophotometer to determine the OD of bacterial culture samples.
    5. Graph absorbance vs. the dilution of your serial dilutions.
    6. Compare and contrast Direct Count, Standard Plate Count, and the Indirect Turbidimetric method of enumeration bacterial counts in a sample.

    Why do we want to know how many bacteria are in a sample or specimen? Do you think it’s important to know the number of microbes in food? Quantifying the bacterial level in a sample can be done in several ways. New rapid diagnostic tests can help identify particular bacteria in a sample, but the total count is informative in a manufacturing or diagnostic process.

    What about in human disease? Typically, urinary tract infections are determined not by the mere presence of bacteria in a urine sample, but by the magnitude of bacteria (>105 CFU/ml) in the sample. 1, 2, 3

    This page titled 10.1: Learning Objectives was last modified on Sat, 16 May 2026 01:32:11 GMT and is shared under a CC BY license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Kelly C. Burke.