Yesterday I streaked out some old B. subtilis strains that I would like to use as positive controls for the optical-tweezers experiments.You gotta love bacteria that are still fully viable after 18 years as a slant in the refrigerator (not the freezer, the fridge).
Woah. I was just reading in my microbio text how slants are used for storage XD Why is it that plates go mouldy but slants don't? Especially after such a long time o.O 18 years is about the same age as me XD
ReplyDeleteProbably because slants are in tubes or vials with lids that are usually screwed down tightly, whereas plate lids are designed to let air in and out. But the important point I neglected to mention is that B. subtilis forms spores. Bacteria that don't form spores would all have been dead long before now, independent of possible contamination problems.
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