Abstract: The invention relates to microbiological test processes, in particular those involving testing of the influence of antimicrobial compounds, nutrients and vitamins or other growth promoters. In particular the invention relates to the typical growth response of a majority of microbes constituting a main population group from a typical growth response of a minority of microbes constituting a minor sub-population group.

Abstract: Monitoring apparatus comprises a support device for receiving a plurality of items to be monitored in an array, each item having a unique machine-readable identifying reference associated therewith, the arrangement being such that the items are movable to different positions in the array; a sensor device for intermittently and repeatedly monitoring each item in the array to monitor changes in a variable associated with each item and to read the reference associated with each item; device for supplying data to the monitored variable and machine-readable reference of each item to a computer, wherein the computer relates the monitored variable to the reference to each item independently of the position of the item in the array.

Abstract: A gas-tight container incorporates a flexible diaphragm made of chlor-butyl rubber. The container finds particular use in systems for monitoring growth of microorganisms.