Microbiology Equipment

Microbiology equipment is a large category covering all kinds of items used in microbiology laboratories. Microbiology is the study of microscopic life forms and is used by scientists studying viruses, plants, fungi, protozoans, cells, and parasites. Many industries use microbiology for quality control purposes, to prove there are no living contaminants or to figure out what type of contaminants there are so they know how to fix the problem.

Microbiology equipment include microscopes; slides; test tubes; petri dishes; growth mediums, both solid and liquid; inoculation loops; pipettes and tips; incubators; autoclaves, and laminar flow hoods. Some equipment, like the microscopes and hoods, are permanent items, whereas others, such as pipette tips, are disposable. Having an autoclave is one way to be able to reuse equipment, such as slides and petri dishes, that may otherwise have been thrown away.

Considerations for purchasing microbiology equipment

The type of microbiology equipment a lab needs is based on what kind of organisms it is studying. Some microbiology equipment is needed in almost every lab, but others, like growth mediums and stains, can be specific to certain kinds of microorganisms and therefore not needed by all microbiologists. There are several types of slides, including regular flat glass slides, concave slides for holding a liquid sample, and slides that have grids printed on them to help count cells. Before buying them, decide how much space you have for tools like autoclaves, incubators, and laminar flow hoods, and how much capacity you need them to have.