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Asked by anon-377679 on 25 Apr 2024.
Question: what is a micro sample
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Claire Price answered on 25 Apr 2024:
In microbiology, we usually use the words “micro sample” when we are talking about microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
In research, it just means a small sample. For example, a micro sample in a laboratory might mean looking at and working with samples smaller than 50 microliters. Or put another way, it is a sample that is 0.05 ml. So imagine 1 ml of water or any other liquid. That is small. This is even smaller than half that!
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Karen Adler answered on 8 Jul 2024:
In hospitals, when I get a sample sent to me (the micro lab), it means a doctor thinks a patient might have an infection somewhere, and sends sample of something from that area. This can be a blood sample, or some wee in a jar, or a sterile cotton swab rubbed on a wound or burn, or even liquid from the brain/spinal cord, amputations, poo, anything really where an infection might be!
We then take this sample, spread it on special petri dishes to encourage only infection-causing bacteria to grow (so not bacteria that lives on healthy skin, for example, those are good guys), and we identify a) if there is indeed an infection, and if so b) what type of bacteria is causing it, and c) what antibiotics kill it, and then report back to the doctor with the results so the patient can be treated!
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Andrew commented on :
It could mean some measure with micro in the front such as 20 microlitres or 20 micrograms. Micro means one millionth (1×10−6 = 0.000001) and is usually represented with μ symbol (Greek letter mu) so 20 micrograms can be written as 20 μg and is 20 * 0.000001 g = 0.000020 g.
Of course it could just mean a very small sample, and what counts as small depends on the context.