I'm doing my final medical dissertation research paper at uni. I've attempted to do a vegan project researching cross infection from equipment to humans in the clinical environment but it's a minefield.
I thought agar plates were ok as they are a vegetable gelatin made from various kinds of algae or seaweed. The algae are collected, bleached and dried. Then the gelatin substance is extracted with water and made into the sample plates.
All the other substances that are being used by me and the lab are non- animal derived products.
However, I am now informed half way through the project that I must use horse blood agar plates!!!!
I spoke to the lab about this and they were extremely helpful, they referred me to someone who had visited the horse farm they use and he told me the horses have a happy life and are free to run around, play, eat whatever they like and have nice stables and they basically give blood for these agar plates like human blood donors do and don't seem to be bothered by it.
I just don't know what to think about the whole thing??????
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