Tissue culture concepts
Contamination tracking basics
Contamination is the most common cause of culture loss in tissue culture work. xPlant lets you log every event — big or small — so you build a record that helps prevent the next one.
Why track it at all
Spot patterns before they spread
A single contamination event looks like bad luck. Five events in the same room in two weeks is a protocol or environment problem. Logged records make the pattern visible.
Measure the real cost of loss
When contamination is not recorded, its true frequency is unknown. Tracked losses let you justify equipment investment, SOP changes, or media reformulation.
Guide recovery decisions
A contamination log with outcome data — was the culture saved, discarded, or quarantined? — tells you what recovery strategies actually work for your lab.
How to log a contamination event
Contamination can be logged directly from a plant or explant detail page. Open the record, find the Contamination section, and click Add Log. You can also log contamination from a transfer if you notice it during a subculture session.
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Type | Bacterial, fungal, viral, pest, unknown, or other |
| Severity | Mild observation, moderate concern, or severe loss |
| Observed on | Date and time the contamination was noticed |
| Description | What you saw: colour, location, spread pattern, smell |
| Follow-up action | What was done — discard, isolate, treat, photograph, monitor |
| Outcome | Final result: culture saved, partially lost, fully discarded |
| Resolved | Mark the event closed once the outcome is known |
After you log it
Move the affected explant to Quarantine stage if you want to isolate it from active cultures while monitoring recovery. If the culture is unrecoverable, advance it to Discarded and add a final observation note before closing the contamination log.
Comments on the contaminated record are useful for team context — mention colleagues if the event affects shared equipment or if a follow-up action is needed.
Best practices
- Log contamination the same day you observe it. Memory degrades fast and timestamps matter.
- Record even minor observations. A 'suspicious spot' that clears up still tells you something about that vessel's history.
- Use the description field freely — detail about colour, location, and spread is the hardest thing to reconstruct later.
- Always mark the outcome when you discard or recover culture. An open log with no outcome skews your statistics.
- Review contamination logs by room periodically. Clustering by location points to environment or equipment issues.