Question

When compared to each other, what are some unique advantages of the spread plate technique? What are some unique advantages to using the pour plate technique? What are some disadvantages unique to each technique? Assume the techniques were done correctly and no contamination occurred.

TECHNIQUE	spread plate	pour plate
unique advantages
unique disadvantages

Answer 1

TECHINIQUE	Spread plate	Pour plate
Unique advantages	Spread plate used for the separation of a dilute, mixed with the population of microbes so that individual colonies can be isolate. It is used commonly for counts and it is easier to isolate specific colonies	An advantage of pour plate is we can identify whether bacteria is an anaerobe, aerobe or a facultative aerobe. In pour plate, agar will have to be pour on top of the solidified agar to create an anaerobic environment
Unique disadvantages	Fewer colonies have a chance of surviving.	you need to carefully control the temperature of the medium too hot will kill your organism, too cold will create clumps of congealed agar, which can sometimes be mistaken for colonies