When you go to a hospital for diagnostic tests, the sample is placed in a gel with agar and peptones.
Most people are familiar with agar for its use in food, however, its importance goes beyond our daily lives. For example, thanks to agar and peptones, it is possible to quickly diagnose a wide variety of infectious diseases.
To put it simply, when you have symptoms of a respiratory, digestive, or urinary system disease, you go to a medical center. There, a sample is taken and placed in a suitable medium to check for the presence of the microorganisms that cause that disease. This medium can be solid agar or liquid enriched with peptones and various substances (carbohydrates, sugar). This creates an optimal environment for bacterial growth, allowing for a rapid diagnosis to determine if the symptoms are related to the presence of certain bacteria in your body. Additionally, different types of antibiotics can be tested in the culture medium to identify the most effective one in treating the bacteria.