Laboratory Excellence and AccreditationDiagnostic Microbiology and Culture Technique
Reliable microbiology depends on technique that is assumed rather than taught, and a contaminated plate or a misread culture sends a clinician down the wrong path with confidence. This course teaches the technique. Delegates work through aseptic transfer and the laboratory habits that keep a culture pure, specimen quality and the rejection criteria that should stop a poor sample being tested at all, and media selection, preparation and quality control. Inoculation, incubation conditions and reading a plate are practised. Identification follows: colony morphology, staining, biochemical tests and the automated systems that now do much of it. Susceptibility testing and its interpretation are covered, including the resistance patterns that must be reported urgently. The course closes on quality control, on contamination investigation and on biosafety.
Course objectives
- Perform aseptic transfer and maintain a pure culture
- Apply specimen rejection criteria before testing a poor sample
- Prepare and quality control media
- Inoculate, incubate and read plates correctly
- Identify organisms by morphology, staining and biochemical testing
- Perform and interpret susceptibility testing
- Investigate contamination and maintain biosafety
Who should attend
- Medical laboratory scientists and microbiology technicians
- Food safety and water testing microbiologists
- Veterinary and animal health laboratory staff
- Laboratory supervisors responsible for microbiology quality control
Course outline
- 01Technique assumed rather than taught
- 02Aseptic transfer and laboratory habits
- 03Specimen quality and rejection criteria
- 04Media selection and preparation
- 05Inoculation and incubation
- 06Reading plates and colony morphology
- 07Identification and susceptibility testing
- 08Resistance reporting, quality control and biosafety
Scheduled sessions
| Dates | Venue | Format | Price | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 to 23 October 2026 | Pretoria, South Africa | Classroom | R14,950 per delegate | Register Now |
| 23 to 25 November 2026 | Online | Online | R6,500 per delegate | Register Now |
| 10 to 12 March 2027 | Lagos, Nigeria | Classroom | USD 995 per delegate | Register Now |
| 15 to 17 March 2027 | Accra, Ghana | Classroom | USD 995 per delegate | Register Now |
| 29 to 31 March 2027 | Kampala, Uganda | Classroom | USD 995 per delegate | Register Now |