What does the term "isolation" refer to in microbiology?

In microbiology, the term "isolation" refers to the process of separating a specific strain of microorganism from a naturally occurring mixed population of living microbes. This is typically done in order to obtain a pure culture of the specific microbe of interest for further study or experimentation. Isolation techniques involve growing the microbes on selective media, which provides the necessary conditions for the growth of the desired strain while inhibiting the growth of others. This helps researchers study and characterize the isolated microbe, understand its properties, behavior, and potential applications in various fields such as medicine, agriculture, or industrial processes.