Microorganism culture-transfer device

Claim 1

A microorganism culture transfer device comprising a manually-grippable handle having a culture contacting tip at its two opposite ends for contacting a culture and streaking same a plurality of times over a culture plate in order to dilute the culture for purposes of isolating individual colonies, characterized in that said handle is of a configuration non-circular in cross-section having a plurality of at least three longitudinally-extending ribs constituting linear surfaces projecting from the outer face of the handle defining at least three discrete rotational positions when held between two of the use's fingers and rotated about the lingitudinal axis of the handle by moving one of said fingers relative to the other; and in that at least one of said culture-contacting tips is of a configuration such as to present a surface for contact with the culture when the handle is initially grasped by the user in any rotational position of the handle, and to provide a different and distinct but like surface around its circumference for contact with the culture in each of said discrete rotational positions of the handle.