Antimicrobial agents are of three basic types: disinfectants, antiseptics, and antibiotics. Antiseptics are chemicals used to inhibit the growth of or kill bacteria on living tissue. Disinfectants are chemicals used to inhibit the growth of or kill bacteria on nonliving surfaces. Antibiotics are chemical substances produced by living organisms which inhibit the growth of bacteria. In this lab, students will grow bacteria that are commonly found in the soil on agar in Petri dishes. Different disinfectants and antibiotics will be tested to see their effect upon the growth of bacteria.

NOTE: This product is also available in a bundled product called Biology Labs: 15 Must Do Labs for a Biology Class .


Purpose: To test the effectiveness of different antimicrobial agents such as disinfectants and antibiotics upon the growth of bacteria.

Materials: Two Petri dishes of agar that have been inoculated with soil bacteria, Sharpie markers, Distilled water, Filter paper disks, Masking tape, Forceps, 3 disinfectants, Metric Ruler, 3 antibiotic disks

Your download will include a lab that is ready to be copied and passed out to your students. It will include Title, Purpose, Introduction, Materials List, Safety Precautions, Procedure, Data Tables, Analysis Questions, and Teacher Preparation Notes. All answers are included.

You will receive both an editable Word document and a pdf form of the lab. You can choose to have your students write their own lab reports or you can use the enclosed student data sheets.

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