Streak Plate Method: Principle, Procedure, Uses

By Acharya Tankeshwar • Updated: 06/06/22 • 6 min read

Streak plate technique is used for the isolation into a pure culture of the organisms (mostly bacteria), from a mixed population. The inoculum is streaked over the agar surface in such a way that it “thins out” the bacteria. Some individual bacterial cells are separated and well-spaced from each other.

As the original sample is diluted by streaking it over successive quadrants, the number of organisms decreases. Usually, by the third or fourth quadrant, only a few organisms are transferred which will give discrete colony forming units (CFUs).

Appropriate method to streak plate for isolation of bacteria.

Table of Contents

Principle of Streaking

The inoculum is diluted by streaking it across the surface of the agar plate. While streaking in successive areas of the plate, the inoculum is diluted to the point where there is only one bacterial cell deposited every few millimeters on the surface of the agar plate. When these lone bacterial cells divide and give rise to thousands and thousands of new bacterial cells, an isolated colony is formed. Pure cultures can be obtained by picking well-isolated colonies and re-streaking these on fresh agar plates.

A common assumption is an isolated colony of bacteria is the progeny of a single bacterial cell (i.e. colony is the clone). However, this is not necessarily true. With species in which the cells form a characteristic grouping during cell divisions, the colony-forming unit may develop from a group of cells rather than form a single cell. For example, clusters of staphylococci, chains of streptococci, etc.

Materials required

A source of bacteria (stock culture, previously streaked agar plate or any other inoculum)
Inoculation loop
A striker/lighter
Bunsen burner
Lysol (10%v/v)
Agar plate (nutrient agar or any other agar medium)
Paper towels

Tips for the best results

Use only a small amount of inoculum.
Streak lightly so that you do not gouge the agar.
Flame the loop after you streak each quadrant.
Make sure the surface of the plate is free of droplets of condensed moisture.

Purpose of streaking

To produce isolated colonies of an organism (mostly bacteria) on an agar plate. This is useful when we need to separate organisms in a mixed culture (to purify/isolate a particular strain from contaminants) or when we need to study the colony morphology of an organism.
To identify the organism: biochemical tests to identify bacteria are only valid when performed on pure cultures.

Quadrant Streaking for isolation into pure culture

Procedure

Sterilize the inoculating loop in the bunsen burner by putting the loop into the flame until it is red hot. Allow it to cool.
Pick an isolated colony from the agar plate culture and spread it over the first quadrant (approximately 1/4 of the plate) using close parallel streaks or Insert your loop into the tube/culture bottle and remove some inoculum. You don’t need a huge chunk.
Immediately streak the inoculating loop very gently over a quarter of the plate using a back and forth motion (see area 1 in the figure above).
Flame the loop again and allow it to cool. Going back to the edge of area 1 that you just streaked, extend the streaks into the second quarter of the plate (area 2).
Flame the loop again and allow it to cool. Going back to the area that you just streaked (area 2), extend the streaks into the third quarter of the plate (area 3).
Flame the loop again and allow it to cool. Going back to the area that you just streaked (area 3), extend the streaks into the center fourth of the plate (area 4).
Flame your loop once more.

Note: Bi-plate inoculation of samples from sterile sites is often done in diagnostic laboratories to save handling time and space.

Results

The streaked plate is incubated at 37°C for 24 hours. Examine the colonies grown on the plate carefully. All colonies should have the same general appearance. If there is more than one type of colony, each type should be streaked again on a separate plate to obtain a pure culture.

Types of Streaking Methods

Apart from the Quadrant streaking methods described above, there are three other basic types of streaking methods;

T-streak
Continuous streak
Radiant streak

T Streak

Procedure

Repeat steps 1 to 6 as per quadrant streaking.
A T shape is drawn on the bottom surface of the plate using a marker.
Remove the lid of the labeled agar plate just enough to insert the loop and lightly drag the loop with suspension in a zig-zag pattern in the top half of the T. (remember to stay within the region) Close the lid and flame the inoculating loop once again.
Rotate the plate at 90° and remove the lid just like before just to fit to inoculating loop. Drag the loop lightly from the first section towards the second section and repeat the zig-zag pattern.
Flame the loop and repeat step 8 in the last remaining section.
The loop is flamed once again before settling it down.
The loop is flamed once again before settling it down.

Radiant Streak

Procedure

An agar plate is taken and labeled properly.
Using a sterile (flamed) loop a loopful sample is carefully spread in an edge of the agar. (care should be given not to gauge the agar)
The loop is famed and after cooling 7-8 straight lines are streaked from area 1 to the opposite side of the plate.
The loop flamed again and when cool sufficiently cross streaking is done over the previous streaks. (start from area 1)
When setting down the loop, it should be flamed till red hot.

Continuous Streak

Procedure:

Using a sterile loop with the loopful sample, the organism is spread from the edge (A) to the middle of the labeled plate. (gouging should be avoided)
The plate is then rotated at 180° ensuring the inoculated portion stays from your hand.
The same inoculum loop is used and the process of spreading is repeated from the edge (B) to the middle.
The loop is then flamed and placed aside.

NOTE: Another method of streaking commonly practiced in hospital settings is the “semi-quantitative method of urine culture”:

A commonly used method of streaking with calibrated loop (4mm in diameter) to semi-quantify the bacteria isolated from the urine specimen. The streaking is similar to continuous streaking only difference being the primary inoculum is made by drawing a vertical line from the top to the bottom of the plate with calibrated loop.

Application of Streak Plate

It is used for determining the causative agent of the disease using clinical specimens.
It can be applied to isolate a pure culture of bacteria from the mixture of the bacterial suspension.
Furthermore, identification using biochemical tests could be done of the isolated colonies.

Limitation of Streak Plate Technique

Only aerobic or facultative aerobic bacterial isolates could be grown.
The primary suspension should contain the viable (living) bacterium.

References

Clinical Microbiology Procedures Handbook, Fourth Edition. (2016). In Clinical Microbiology Procedures Handbook, Fourth Edition. American Society of Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1128/9781555818814
Image source: CDC Public Health Image Library. Image credit: CDC/James Gathany (PHIL #: 7925)

Acharya Tankeshwar

Hello, thank you for visiting my blog. I am Tankeshwar Acharya. Blogging is my passion. As an asst. professor, I am teaching microbiology and immunology to medical and nursing students at PAHS, Nepal. I have been working as a microbiologist at Patan hospital for more than 10 years.