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Where to buy Agar

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  • 16-11-2009 2:18am
    #1
    artieanna
    Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 1,139 ✭✭✭


    Hi I am a visual artist and I want to prepare agar petri dishes for culturing different organisms/moulds etc. I want to use agar as it is more stable than gelatine. Where can I source it in Ireland or on the internet?

    I tried a local health food shop with no joy.

    Also are there any books/online links that would help me identify what I am looking at, like photographed petri dishes with labels ( if you know what I mean). I use a compound binocular microscope with magnification up to 100x

    Advice welcome about preping dishes for different bugs....

    Well all advice welcome;)

    forgive any errors in my text I would love to have had the chance to study biology


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    #2
    Gaspode
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Music Moderators, Regional East Moderators, Regional Midlands Moderators, Regional Midwest Moderators, Regional Abroad Moderators, Regional North Mods, Regional West Moderators, Regional South East Moderators, Regional North East Moderators, Regional North West Moderators, Regional South Moderators Posts: 8,008 CMod ✭✭✭✭Gaspode


    You can buy Agar from Fisherscientific, Lennox,VWR or any lab supplier.
    However, I would caution against growing up bacteria on these outside of a lab. That's something only a trained microbiologist should do, as there is potential for serious illness from contaminated plates. You would need a license to work with most strains of bacteria, so dont end up getting yourself in trouble with the law!!
    Also, many varieties of agar contain substances toxic to humans, so need specialist equipment and are not nice to work with.

    Perhaps you could obtain some 'Kanten' which is agar based and use food dye to give it different appearances? you might get it from asian shops or other specialist food stores.


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    #3
    Papa_Lazarou
    Registered Users Posts: 1,863 ✭✭✭Papa_Lazarou


    You also then have the problem og how you are going to dispose of them properly. In labs all those things are autoclaved before being disposed because of the possible risk posed. Id take the advice of gaspode if u want to avoid a dodgy situation arising.


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    #4
    r3nu4l
    Registered Users Posts: 17,399 ✭✭✭✭r3nu4l


    artieanna wrote: »
    Also are there any books/online links that would help me identify what I am looking at, like photographed petri dishes with labels ( if you know what I mean). I use a compound binocular microscope with magnification up to 100x
    Identification of species is a science within itself!!

    There is an old procedure called Gram staining for bacteria but that doesn't tell you a whole lot.

    Identification of bacteria and fungus usually takes place these days using DNA analysis. There are some kits that can be bought from medical suppliers to identify harmful bacteria and fungi but these are expensive, require some expertise and will only help you identify a couple of bacteria.

    If it's for art then you could take samples from different body parts and place them on plates and seeing if you get any unusual, different bugs from different body parts...

    Now when taking samples, you need a sterile swab. If you have a pressure cooker at home, add some water to the bottom of the cooker, then seal some cotton buds and/or toothpicks in tinfoil and put them in the pressure cooker. Seal them in multiple layers of tinfoil to avoid getting them too wet but if they do get wet, just let them dry out in an airing cupboard (while still in the foil) Let the cooker do it's work for 15 mins and then take them out. Voila, you have sterile swabs.

    Ideas for samples you can take:

    If you are looking for fungus then you could try scraping under your toenails, dilute the scraping in water and put a drop on the agar plate and then spread the water across the plate with your sterile cotton bud.

    Use toothpicks to gently scrape along the inside of your mouth to get cheek cells. If you haven't used mouthwash that day you may get lactobacilli on the cells too :)

    Before you brush your teeth, use a toothpick to get some plaque...

    Use a cotton bud to swab your armpits and groin...

    Go out to the garden, wear a rubber glove on one hand. Use your hands to dig in the clay for a while. Place a dirty finger in one petri-dish, wash your hands thoroughly and place a clean finger (from the hand that definitely didn't get in the dirt) in another petri dish...

    Take a J-cloth when you've finished washing dishes...squeeze a drop of water onto the dish...

    You get the idea. There's loads of places you can get bacteria.


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    #5
    artieanna
    Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 1,139 ✭✭✭artieanna


    Thanks of the advice all.

    Jeez I don't want to do anything illegal. What can I do that is acceptable?

    As you said r3nu4l I would be intrested in looking at moulds, soil, airborn stuff. I was thinking that I could dispose of the plates contents by placing them in pure bleach
    and naturally I would use disposable gloves.

    Can I not get agar that is a food product used as a thickner in desserts,soups, ...

    Is there a book with really good images of identified bacteria that I could use as an art reference? I am interested in the shapes produced on plates and the bacteria shapes under the microscope.

    I don't want to do anything that is dangerous. I will be very cautious and careful when dealing with bacteria of any sort.

    again any advice you can offer is welcome


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    #6
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,792 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    as an alternative you could look into making a crystal garden


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    #7
    r3nu4l
    Registered Users Posts: 17,399 ✭✭✭✭r3nu4l


    artieanna wrote: »
    Is there a book with really good images of identified bacteria that I could use as an art reference? I am interested in the shapes produced on plates and the bacteria shapes under the microscope.
    Not really, for a start, bacteria look totally different when grown on different agars. Imagine you were growing E.coli on regular agar, if you then grew that same strain on an agar supplemented with different quantities of minerals, sugars etc, the strain might be a different colour, form different shapes, form raised clumps etc.

    Therefore, to make a comparison to a photo in a book you should be growing your bacteria on exactly the same type of agar to have any hope of making a comparison. Even at that you will most likely not succeed as the only identification possible will be via genetic analysis or multiple old-fashioned, complex laboratory tests.


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    #8
    norrie rugger
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,656 ✭✭✭norrie rugger


    Would you not approach a local college and see if any of the departments would be willing to help?

    Or the some postgrads if are you taking pictures?
    If you are photographing the cultures, you might have some better photographic kit than they do. They allow you to take some pics and in exchange they get professional images of their plates?

    It may have changed but I doubt that it would have been an issue in the past


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    #9
    artieanna
    Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 1,139 ✭✭✭artieanna


    I have thought about approaching a college, but the nearest one is quite a distance away. I may have to consider it though....
    mmm The crystal garden thing looks really interesting too.... thanks Capt'n Midnight

    Any books on microbiology with really good images these would be really useful anyway. I am currently reading Cell Biology by Smith & Wood. Granted I don't understand some bits of it, but it is giving me a better understanding of how cells work...

    I never thought of that R3nu4l, so bacteria appear different depending on the nutrients supplied to it.. I never thought of that:rolleyes:

    AWWWW I wish I got the chance to study biology......


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    #10
    yank_in_eire
    Closed Accounts Posts: 437 ✭✭yank_in_eire


    Gaspode wrote: »
    You can buy Agar from Fisherscientific, Lennox,VWR or any lab supplier.
    However, I would caution against growing up bacteria on these outside of a lab. That's something only a trained microbiologist should do, as there is potential for serious illness from contaminated plates. You would need a license to work with most strains of bacteria, so dont end up getting yourself in trouble with the law!!
    Also, many varieties of agar contain substances toxic to humans, so need specialist equipment and are not nice to work with.

    Perhaps you could obtain some 'Kanten' which is agar based and use food dye to give it different appearances? you might get it from asian shops or other specialist food stores.

    I am a trained microbiologist and I can tell you that the chances of you isolating something as nasty as Gaspode is talking about are extremely slim. You'll most likely get several types of mould (Penicillium and Aspergillus mostly) and a heap of Staphylococcus spp. and maybe a few Gram-positive rods (Bacillus spp.) Most of these pose no risk to you unless you are already sick or immunosuppressed.
    Gaspode is right about agars containg toxic substances but these are usually only a problem when the agar is in its easily inhaled powder form - buying ready-made plates would let you avoid that but you'd still have problems when it came time to dispose of the contaminated plates.


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    #11
    norrie rugger
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,656 ✭✭✭norrie rugger


    yank_in_eire wrote: »
    I am a trained microbiologist and I can tell you that the chances of you isolating something as nasty as Gaspode is talking about are extremely slim. You'll most likely get several types of mould (Penicillium and Aspergillus mostly) and a heap of Staphylococcus spp. and maybe a few Gram-positive rods (Bacillus spp.) Most of these pose no risk to you unless you are already sick or immunosuppressed.
    Gaspode is right about agars containg toxic substances but these are usually only a problem when the agar is in its easily inhaled powder form - buying ready-made plates would let you avoid that but you'd still have problems when it came time to dispose of the contaminated plates.

    Indeed but we do not know the health of the poster, or their family/friends (nor should we be asking)


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    #12
    JohnG18
    Registered Users Posts: 254 ✭✭JohnG18


    I know you are able to buy Agar Flakes however I am not sure if you would be able to set these as in normal Agar plates. I am sure if you asked a nearby college if it would be possible just to buy a few plates they would be more than willing to help.

    Taking random samples was the first Microbiology experiment we did in First year in college.


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    #13
    artieanna
    Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 1,139 ✭✭✭artieanna


    Okay I'm still thinking about this but haven't done anything yet. So this is research I suppose.

    Are there any books I could buy that would have good images of the shapes and patterns of different bugs fungi etc?

    Images I need....


    Thanks for all the help so far ye have been BRILLIANT!!!


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    #14
    Staph
    Registered Users Posts: 472 ✭✭Staph


    Hey,

    I thought this link would be useful. It gives all the typically found morphologies of bacteria\yeast\moulds that grow on agar plates.

    Link: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentoring/project_ideas/MicroBio_Interpreting_Plates.shtml


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    #15
    artieanna
    Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 1,139 ✭✭✭artieanna


    Thats great thanks alot...

    Now I just wondering if I could find images of what the bugs look like under a scope at different magnifications.


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    #16
    tenenbaum
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12 ✭tenenbaum


    you can get it in the asian food markets, the one by the jervis luas beside spar has it


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    #17
    Staph
    Registered Users Posts: 472 ✭✭Staph


    artieanna wrote: »
    Thats great thanks alot...

    Now I just wondering if I could find images of what the bugs look like under a scope at different magnifications.

    Well, bacteria will either be rods (oblong or oval), cocci (spherical) or spirals (very unusual).

    I've attached two images. One is S. aureus with typical cocci at 5000 magnification. The other is a rod shaped E. coli at about the same magnification. You can observe these morphologies easily at 60 or 100 magnification on a normal microscope.


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