If you were going to identify microorganisms within a specimen containing large numbers of organisms (seawater, normal microbiota, etc.), you would have to

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Amplifying gene sequences within the sample can help identify each of the different organisms, even if they are present in large numbers. This can be done using techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify specific genes or regions of DNA, which can then be sequenced and compared to known sequences in databases to identify the microorganisms present. The other options (using a wide variety of microbiological media, antibodies, or serological tests) may be useful in some cases but may not be as effective or accurate for identifying all of the different species of microorganisms in a complex sample.

If You Were Going to Identify Microorganisms Within a Specimen