You love being a microbiologist. Your passion for understanding microorganisms and the impact they have on every aspect of life fuels your long days in the lab. We know all too well that a busy lab and finicky microorganisms can…
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You’ve identified an organism in your environment. Now what? If you work in a non-sterile pharmaceutical manufacturing laboratory, chances are you’ve encountered this question. You know environmental monitoring doesn’t stop at detection, but what are the correct next steps to…
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Everyone has heard of diphtheria, but this familiar infection caused by a Corynebacterium strain isn’t the only illness laboratories should be concerned about. Sterile manufacturing facilities should also be on the lookout for non-diphtherial Corynebacterium. These strains, commonly found in…
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Dear Stanley, CLSI M100 was updated this year. What are some of the biggest changes and how do they impact QC in my lab? Ruth from Chicago, IL Dear Ruth, Great question! In 2018, there were many changes to CLSI…
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It’s mid-March which means your kids are probably home on spring break and in need of activities to keep them occupied. Help them continue learning outside the classroom with these ten fun and educational science experiments. 1. Extract DNA from…
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The pour plate method is an economical way for pharmaceutical, contract and even food laboratories to perform tests focused on a specific number of bacteria. The process may seem simple (melt, pipette, pour, swirl, incubate), but errors have been known…
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From Contagion to World War Z, Hollywood has produced many entertaining microbiology and genetics-related movies. Some are scientifically accurate while others require you to ignore logic and just enjoy the show. So, which films are worth a watch? Our microbiologists…
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Dear Stanley, What are the differences between inactivated and synthetic molecular standards? I see that Microbiologics offers both types of standards, and I’d like some help determining which is best for my lab. MaryLou from Atlanta, GA Dear MaryLou, This is…
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Recalling and pronouncing peculiar microorganism names is a skill every microbiologist has mastered. However, the intricate rules for writing about microorganisms may leave even experienced microbiologists second-guessing how to annotate or spell a strain name. Our quiz below will challenge…
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After Escherichia coli, Salmonella might be one of the world’s most recognized bacterial species. Outbreaks of Salmonella have occurred in several food products including the well-known peanut butter outbreak in 2009 in which 714 people in 46 states became ill…
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