(bacteria count)How do I get the bacteria from my hands?

I know how to count bacteria once they're grown on the petri dishes. It seems that in order to perform the count, I'll first have to dilute it and I need the bacteria in some kind of liquid before I can dilute it. How would I get bacteria off my hands and into a liquid? (Or is there another alternative to serial dilution?)

(bacteria count)How do I get the bacteria from my hands?
When you want to detect bacteria from a surface, you can use a wet sterile Q-tip to swab your hands, and then drop the Q-tip into a test tube with saline (0.85% NaCl). Shake the tube and then pipet 0.5 ml of the liquid to an agar plate and spread it with a glass rod in the shape of a hocky stick. Count the colonies.





If you just want to test some antibacterial soaps for their ability to kill bacteria, you can use the following procedure:





Pour nutrient agar plate with E. coli in it. Cut wells with a cork borer and suck out the agar plug. Make dilution of the soaps, and add 20 ul into the well. After incubation, the E. coli will grow to a lawn, and where there is inhibiting substance, there will be a clear zone.





You will have to do this in a bacterial laboratory.
Reply:Does it have to be on your hands? Even if you could do a serial dilution right, how do you know if you got all the bacteria off your hands?





I.e. All present and accounted for?
Reply:You could dunk your hands in a known amount of liquid, swirl it around and then use that liquid to do the plating or whatever