Virus Isolation

Virus Isolation Course

What is it?

The Virus Isolation course is the first part of the two-semester Phage Discovery Program.

This course has helped me appreciate science in a way I don’t think a traditional taught course would.

Danielle Bachhofer

undergraduate student

Virus Isolation Overview

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Virus Isolation Flow Chart

Phage Isolation

Phage Purification and Amplification

Phage DNA and Morphology

Lab Safety

Overview

This course begins by reading the Phage Discovery Guide on Lab Safety for some universal guidelines, such as appropriate dress, personal protective equipment use, professional behavior, proper organization, and correct disposal of lab materials. Student researchers must complete the CITI and TrainTraq courses on Lab Safety and Biosafety by the first class session. An additional on-site safety training, which includes lab-specific hazards, location of safety equipment, and evacuation routes, and student-signed acknowledgements of having completed all safety training by the beginning of the first class session. Lab safety is a component of the final course grade, and negligence can result in the offending student dropped from the course.

Electronic Devices

This laboratory has dedicated laptops for each student research group to access the Phage Discovery Guide and this website for recording in the online electronic lab notebook. The laboratory has dedicated digital cameras and ink markers for labeling and taking images of tube contents, plaques, and gels. No laboratory electronic devices should leave this laboratory because of contamination possibilities. Further, no personal electronic device use allowed inside this laboratory.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

This laboratory has available disposable lab coats and gloves of all sizes. If your PPE becomes contaminated with a biological agent or chemical, dispose of it in the available autoclave bags. This laboratory has available two sizes of lab safety glasses. Store clean PPE in your lab space cabinet. Return lab safety glasses to the lab manager after each lab session for sanitation and reuse. No exiting this laboratory while wearing this PPE because of contamination possibilities.

Biological Agent

This laboratory operates as a Biosafety Level 1 (BSL-1) environment. Bacterial hosts used in the lab are Risk Group 1 (RG-1) organisms Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2 155 and Microbacterium foliorum. Store culture plates and tubes containing biological agents in secondary containment bins. No biological agents should leave this laboratory, including contaminated material.

Disposal of Glass Culture Tubes

This laboratory requires discarding all glass culture tubes into the red biohazards sharps container. No other material should go into this container.

Disposal of Culture Plates, Tubes, Syringes, Filters, Pipettes, and Pipette Tips

This laboratory requires discarding all non-glass disposable material that was in contact with a biological agent into the available autoclave bags. No other material should go into this container, such as non-contaminated wrappers or packaging.