Inoculating_loop

An inoculation loop, held in a scientist\'s gloved hand.

An inoculation loop (sometimes called a smear loop, inoculation wand or microstreaker) is a simple tool used mainly by microbiologists to retrieve an inoculum from a culture of microorganisms. Its tip is a wire made of platinum or nichrome, the latter being inferior but less expensive. The wire forms a small loop with a diameter of about 5 mm. This loop is handy for taking an inoculum from a liquid by using the phenomenon of surface tension.

The inoculation loop is always sterilized in a flame until it becomes red hot before and after each use. By doing this, the same tool can be reused in different experiments without fear of cross-contamination.The loop is used to cultivate microbes in Agar jelly and to use the streak manouvre to transfer microbes.

This medical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This microbiology-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia