I am doing agar well diffusion assay to test for antimicrobial effect of essential oil on bacteria. The problem is that the plate keeps getting contaminated. Can you suggest tips to avoid that?
@Phil Geis I streak 100ul of bacteria using a cotton swab. Then I make wells using cork borer before placing my essential oil. I am diluting my essential oil with 5% DMSO, I place oil first then DMSO. I wait for 30 minutes before incubating them at 37°C.
That's how I do it. I will check if the EO is contaminated as you suggested.
@Phil Geis the last time I tried it there was no contamination- my technique wasn't completely sterile-but the bacteria tested was overgrown. Another problem that I have is that the wells keeps being overflown. If you have a way to stop that please tell me.
I measure the OD value for the bacterial suspensions, or is it best to compare it with McFarland
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