A student properly flames her loop but then forgets to let it cool. Instead, she immediately inserts the hot loop into her broth culture. What is the most important issue associated with this mistake?

Question

Casey Barnes

Biology

15 May, 08:24

A student properly flames her loop but then forgets to let it cool. Instead, she immediately inserts the hot loop into her broth culture. What is the most important issue associated with this mistake?

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Answers (1)

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Nicolas Gibbs · Answer 1

Aerosols may be created when the hot loop touches the culture.

Explanation:

The insertion of the hot loop, will make the broth and the bacteria to boil briefly, and this will create aerosols containing bacteria.

This is very dangerous especially to the students, because the aerosols created is air borne and can be inhaled by the student and enter the respiratory tract, or settle on his/her skin.

Note that, when a loop produce a hissing sound when placed in a broth culture means that, it has not cooled sufficiently or as expected.