In microbiology, a cell spreader or plate spreader is a tool used to smoothly spread

cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery ...

s and

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometr ...

on a

culture plate In microbiology, a culture plate is a low flat-bottomed laboratory container for growing a layer of organisms such as bacteria, molds, and cells on a thin layer of nutrient medium. The most common types are the petri dish and multiwell plates. ...

, such as a petri dish. Cell spreaders can be made from

glass Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling ( quenching ...

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

, or

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

, and come in various shapes. A Drigalski spatula is a cell spreader consisting of a cylindrical rod or wire bent in the shape of a triangle with a handle.Ronald Westphal (1988):
Microbiological Techniques in School
', page 34. Document No. 28 in the series ''Science and Technology Education''.(2019):
Item 41049: Drigalski spatulas made of glass
. Assistent (Karl Hecht) online catalog. Accessed on 2019-10-25.(2019):

. Marienfeld-Superior online catalog. Accessed on 2019-10-25. Another variant is a rod bent in L-shape.(2019):
Product BRG005: L-Shape Bacteriology Loop
. Rogo-Sampaic online catalog. Accessed on 2019-10-25. Extrusion molded versions can be T-shaped.(2019):
Item 3044-55: Sterile T-shaped cell spreaders
. Weber Scientific online catalog. Accessed on 2019-10-25.

Uses

Drop cells or bacteria at the center of the dish. Researchers can then place the spreader on top of the dish and, without applying much pressure, swirl the spreader around on the dish to evenly distribute the cells or bacteria.

Sterilization

Before using a cell spreader, if the spreader is made from glass or

, researchers must sterilize the spreader by submerging it in alcohol or

ethanol Ethanol (abbr. EtOH; also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound. It is an alcohol with the chemical formula . Its formula can be also written as or (an ethyl group linked to a ...

and later burning the alcohol off by placing the spreader in a

Bunsen burner A Bunsen burner, named after Robert Bunsen, is a kind of ambient air gas burner used as laboratory equipment; it produces a single open gas flame, and is used for heating, sterilization, and combustion. The gas can be natural gas (which is ma ...

flame to eliminate microorganisms.

After uses

After each use, the spreader should be placed in alcohol or ethanol to keep it clean and prevent it from being contaminated with unwanted particles. Disposable cell spreaders made of plastic are usually not subject to sterilization, but discarded.

References

{{Laboratory equipment Special:WhatLinksHere/Laboratory equipment Laboratory glassware

See also

Uses

Sterilization

After uses

References