A number of techniques are routine in microbiology laboratories that enable microorganisms to be cultured, examined and identified.

An indispensable tool in any microbiology laboratory is the inoculating loop. The loop is a piece of wire that is looped at one end. By heating up the loop in an open flame, the loop can be sterilized before and after working with bacteria. Thus, contamination of the bacterial sample is minimized. The inoculating loop is part of what is known as aseptic (or sterile) technique.

Another staple piece of equipment is called a petri plate. A petri plate is a sterile plastic dish with a lid that is used as a receptacle for solid growth media.

In order to diagnose an infection or to conduct research using a microorganism, it is necessary to obtain the organism in a pure culture. The streak plate...