Beyond masks and gloves—here’s how the pros handle dangerous microbes

1. Microcentrifuge tubes: Microbes and liquid suspensions can be isolated in these vessels.

3. 100-to-1,000-microliter pipette: Different sizes of these devices are used to precisely deliver a consistent volume of material throughout an experiment or procedure.

4. Automatic multichannel pipette: Used with microplates (No. 10), it dispenses the exact volume of liquid through eight channels at once with a single push.

5. Filtered pipette tip rack: Internal filters are meant to keep infectious aerosols from contaminating the pipette shaft during dispensing.

6. Sterile culture swab: Specimens collected with this are transferred to tubes (No. 9) that contain culture media.

7. Test tube rack: Tubes of various sizes are stored here.

8. Liquid culture medium: Scientists use this to support cells’ life and growth.

9. Specimen collection tubes: These are designed to protect the integrity of samples and eliminate the risk of spillage.

10. 96-well microplate: The wells function like small test tubes for titration—that is, measuring the concentration of virus or antibodies in a sample.