We often get comments like this from users, asking why we use approaches not seen in clinical labs - why don't we better mimic what is done there? Our answer is that going that route would take us into being something we never intended to be - software for teaching clinical micro or med micro. True, in clinical labs they don't flame loops with bunsen burners, they deal with a huge variety of microbes beyond the two groups we include (like non-fermenters, Gram negative cocci and Gram positive rods, etc.), and they use a variety of exotic media and tests we don't include. All along our goal has been to provide a simulation for a basic microbiology lab for a variety of micro students in a variety of majors with a variety of career goals, and our choice of microbes and tests and media reflects what would be used in those basic courses around the country. I think it would be safe to say burners are more common than incinerators are more common than disposable loops in teaching labs at community colleges and universities, and a focus on Gram positive cocci and enteric rods is more common than culturing anaerobes from clinical specimens. Understanding what we are trying to do, I hope, explains why we decided our content and approach.
