inoculate

Inoculate is a verb that means to introduce a material into a living organism or into a culture. The act can be used to provoke a biological response, to grow microorganisms, or to prepare immune protection.

In medicine, inoculation refers to administering a vaccine or immune serum to a person or animal to induce immunity against a specific disease. It may be delivered by injection, oral, or nasal routes, depending on the vaccine.

In microbiology, inoculation is the process of introducing a microbe or a sample into a culture medium or host to establish growth or to observe properties. In laboratory practice, sterile technique is used to avoid contamination, and an inoculum is the small amount of material used to start the culture.

In agriculture, inoculation involves introducing beneficial microorganisms to seeds, roots, or soil to improve nutrient uptake or disease resistance. A common example is inoculating legume seeds with Rhizobium species to enable nitrogen fixation in the plant.

Historically, inoculation also referred to variolation—exposing a person to material from a diseased individual to prevent smallpox—an approach largely superseded by modern vaccination.

See also: vaccination, immunization, culture (microbiology), inoculum, Rhizobium, mycorrhizal inoculation.