by Laurie Kundrat | Jul 18, 2019 | Clinical, Food, Molecular, Pharmaceutical, Water
In 2016, two biologists from Indiana University estimated that there are about a trillion species of bacteria on earth.1 With so many choices, how can a teacher select the best strains for her microbiology class? Below are a few tips for choosing and using...
by Laurie Kundrat | May 23, 2019 | Pharmaceutical
What do taking two children, a dog and a cat on a cross-country road trip and performing the Antimicrobial Effectiveness Test (AET) have in common? They both require heaps of planning and an abundance of patience. So, if the test is so challenging, why do it? The AET...
by Microbiologics | May 2, 2019 | Clinical, Food, Molecular, Pharmaceutical, Water
Dear Stanley, Lately, our lab has been experiencing PCR results that don’t fit with what is expected. We will see occasional positive results in a negative sample. I think the issue could be related to contamination in the lab, but I’m not sure. Do you have any tips...
by Microbiologics | Apr 18, 2019 | Cannabis, Clinical, Food, Molecular, Pharmaceutical
Cannabis has become a widely accepted form of medicine for patients across the United States. These patients, many of whom are immunocompromised, rely on testing laboratories to ensure the safety of the products they use. The lack of consistent and clear regulations...
by Microbiologics | Apr 11, 2019 | Clinical, Food, Pharmaceutical, Water
Microbiologists use the streak plate method every day to isolate colonies. Streaking may seem like Microbiology 101, but bad habits can lead to errors and contamination. Follow these best practices to get your streaking technique down to a science. 1. Label first,...
by Laurie Kundrat | Apr 4, 2019 | Pharmaceutical
No matter how precise you are when setting up tests, occasionally errors occur resulting in unexpected outcomes. This is especially true for microbiology assays, which due to the nature of microorganisms, are subject to more variation than chemical assays. For this...
