Hi! Contamination on the plate is shown by being a white/cream color, while the color that we’re looking for in a phage plaque is clear or cloudy. I think our first plate got contaminated a lot just due to human error with not being super careful with sterile technique, and bacteria being able to get onto the plate.
Our main way of reducing contamination is by using sterile technique, which is when we use a Bunsen burner to kill of the bacteria surrounding it, and we complete our experiment in that sterile bubble that it creates.
I think that it would be very beneficial! Since spatula is a temperate phage, it’s probably not the best candidate for phage therapy, therefore we could study it in other applications, and see what it could be most useful for!
Why do you think there was a lot of contamination on the first plate? Also, how do you identify contamination on the plate?
Hi! Contamination on the plate is shown by being a white/cream color, while the color that we’re looking for in a phage plaque is clear or cloudy. I think our first plate got contaminated a lot just due to human error with not being super careful with sterile technique, and bacteria being able to get onto the plate.
How could you reduce possible contaminations in future research?
Our main way of reducing contamination is by using sterile technique, which is when we use a Bunsen burner to kill of the bacteria surrounding it, and we complete our experiment in that sterile bubble that it creates.
Would studying Spatula in other phage based applications be beneficial?
I think that it would be very beneficial! Since spatula is a temperate phage, it’s probably not the best candidate for phage therapy, therefore we could study it in other applications, and see what it could be most useful for!