| Technique | ENDOSPORES ,(/,)/,( |
| Principle | Cultures that can survive heating at
80 C for 10 minutes are assumed to produce spores but
spores can be visualized directly with several stains.
Sporulating bacteria tend to lose the ability to produce
spores, especially in laboratory cultures. This
asporogenous state may be permanent or a temporary
reaction of the envirnment. Sub culture to a starch
containing medium such as potato agar may restore the
ability of aerobes to produce spores.Sometimes growth on
soil extract agar w ill promote spore formation. Young
spores may be decolorized while in old cultures stained
spores may be free of the cell and unstained areas may be
present in cells that have shed their spores. See SPORE STAIN for method |