What is the total magnification when using a 10x eyepiece and a 40x objective lens?

Alpha hemolysis is characterized by partial lysis of red blood cells on blood agar, leading to a greenish or brownish discoloration around bacterial colonies rather than a clear zone. This occurs because the bacteria produce hemolysins that oxidize hemoglobin to methemoglobin, causing the greenish hue, but do not completely lyse the red blood cells. In contrast, beta hemolysis results in complete destruction of red blood cells and a clear zone surrounding the colonies. Therefore, alpha hemolysis produces incomplete hemolysis with color change rather than full destruction and clearing of the agar.

A blood agar plate is a nutrient-rich culture medium that contains mammalian blood, usually 5% sheep blood, mixed with agar. It is commonly used in microbiology laboratories to grow and differentiate bacteria based on their ability to lyse red blood cells (hemolysis). The red color of the medium comes from the intact red blood cells, and bacterial colonies may produce clear zones (beta hemolysis), greenish zones (alpha hemolysis), or no change (gamma hemolysis) around them. This property helps in identifying clinically important bacteria such as Streptococcus species.