A
Petri dish is essentially a shallow cylindrical dish, typically made using
glass or transparent plastic. A Petri dish has a flat bottom with vertical
sides. The lid of the Petri Dish is slightly larger for effectively fitting
over the sides. The lid allows the petri dish from getting contaminated.
While the Glass Petri dishes can be re-used again and again after
sterilization, Plastic Petri dishes are mostly disposed of after
single use.
Petri Dish is a crucial piece of tool in a microbiology lab. Agar plates, a
type of Petri Dish that is filled with Agar is frequently used. The Petri
dish after solidification with agar and other constituents is added with
microbe-laden sample for bacterial growth. However in cell culture there is
no need for adding agar to Petri dishes.
Modern Petri dishes often comes with innovative designs for facilitating
easy stacking and handling. Petri Dishes with rings on the lids and bases
allows a proper stacking so as to prevent sliding off one another. There are
some variations of Petri Dishes used for numerous applications. Multiple
Petri Dishes when incorporated into a single plastic container is termed as
a "multi-well plate". A microtiter plate is also basically a
highly modified multiwell Petri dish.
Types of Petri Dish
- Plastic Petri Dish
- Glass Petri Dish
- Disposable Petri Dish
Uses and Applications of
Petri Dish
The primary function of a Petri Dish lies with biologists who uses it for
culturing cells. Significant breakthroughs in science like growing of cells
that is integrated with electronic circuits, cloning of organs and
understanding viruses all have been made easy by using the modest petri
dish. Some of the other functions of Petri Dish includes.
- Observing of plant seed germination, as the clear dish makes it
possible for the students in a bio lab to observe every step of growth
- Observing the behaviour of small animals
- The Petri dish also finds use in a dissection process as it is
appropriately sized for placing under a microscope
- A Petri dish is used for basic experiments that requires
transportation of liquids in sterile containers or drying of fluids
Related Products
Petri
Dish Rack
A Petri Dish rack is used for neat and safe holding of Petri dishes.
Generally plastic material like rugged ABS or acrylic is popular but Steel
wire Peri Dish racks are also used.
Petri
Dish Liner
Petri Dish Liners are required for a contamination-free cell culture
application. Generally Petri Dish liners are made using teflon films. Some
of the features of teflon made Petri Dish liner includes the following.
- The liner is chemically inert and noncontaminating
- Liner can be autoclaved
- Cells can be easily cultured as the surface is nonstickable
- Surface is non-wettable
The History Behind the
Petri Dish
Generally
it is seen that in case of scientific inventions technicians who work for
the development of a particular product generally remains invisible,
overshadowed by their more illustrious superiors. However Petri Dish is an
exception. Julius Richard Petri(1852-1921) worked as an assistant to Robert
Koch.
Robert Koch (1843-1910) was the master of "germ theory”. Though
Koch's work is remembered, (strangely though his name does not figure out
beyond the world of microbiologists) but Koch's assistant Julius Richard
Petri became immortal though only a few amongst us know who exactly he was.
Let's now understand the circumstances that led to the invention of Petri
Dish. Bacteria at that time were grown in liquid broth. Robert Koch after
doing extensive research came out with the idea that it is better to culture
bacteria on a solid medium instead. By using a solid surface pure colonies
of bacteria could be easily isolated and effect of each bacteria could be
studied in great detail.
Koch employed a "puddle" of gelatin on a flat glass surface.
Later on he used a flat bottle with the gelatin spread on the sides. The
access was through a narrow opening at the end. Petri who was working under
Robert Koch devised a better method. He concluded if gelatin is poured in a
shallow dish and covered it would be easier in getting the bacterial
cultures. The plan succeeded wonderfully and the rest as well know is
history as Petri is a household name now.
The story is not yet complete a Slavonian scientist called Emanuel Klein
(1844-1925) may also have invented something that was very close to a Petri
Dish slightly earlier than Mr. Petri. Emanuel Klein who conducted his
research in England wrote a textbook titled Micro-organisms and Disease. In
1885 the book's third edition contained a description of a dish that was
almost similar to the one that Mr. Petri was supposed to have invented.
Related Articles
-
All About Petri Dish & Uses
