Colony Forming Units

Colony Forming Units (CFUs) are a way to estimate the number of viable microorganisms, like bacteria or fungi, in a sample. When you take a sample and grow it in a lab, each viable microorganism can multiply into a visible colony. CFUs count these visible colonies, giving an approximation of the living microorganisms present. This measure helps assess contamination, infection risk, or cleanliness in medical, food, and environmental testing. Essentially, CFUs reflect the number of living, reproducing microbes in a sample, aiding scientists and health professionals in understanding microbial presence and safety levels.