culture

The culture - A growth of bacteria or other microorganisms, cells, or tissues cultivated artificially in the laboratory. Microorganisms are collected from the site of an infection and cultured in order to produce adequate amounts so that tests to identify them can be performed.

Cells from a fetus may be cultured to diagnose disorders prenatally. Healthy cells may be cultured for the study of chromosomes (see chromosome analysis). Some types of tissue, such as skin, may be cultured to produce larger amounts that can then be used for grafting.

Other tissues are cultivated to provide a medium in which viruses can be grown and identified in the laboratory; viruses will only multiply within living cells.