Axenic Culture
- Pronunciation
- /ak-SEN-ik kul-cher/
- Category
- Culture Methods
- Singular
- Axenic culture
- Plural
- Axenic cultures
Definition
A laboratory culture of a single species of organism, free from contamination by other organisms.
Etymology
From Greek 'a', meaning 'not', and 'xenos', meaning 'stranger' or 'foreigner'.
Example
An axenic culture of *Escherichia coli* was used to study the effects of a specific antibiotic.
Related Terms
- Sterile culture
- Monoclonal culture
Usage Notes
Axenic cultures are often used in research to ensure that experiments are not affected by the presence of other microorganisms.