What is the growth of cells in or on a sterile nutrient medium outside an organism called?

• A. Culture
• B. In vitro culture
• C. Tissue culture
• D. Cell culture

Answer: (C)

Growing tissue-derived material outside of the organism on a sterile nutrient medium is called tissue culture. This term specifically captures the idea of taking tissue or cells from tissue and keeping them alive and multiplying in a controlled, sterile environment on a nutrient base, separate from the organism. It’s a broader concept than growing a single cell, and it’s more specific than the general word culture, which could refer to microbes or other kinds of growth. It’s also distinct from simply saying in vitro culture, which describes the outside-the-body condition but doesn’t pinpoint that the material comes from tissue. So tissue culture best fits the description because it emphasizes both the tissue origin and the controlled, sterile in vitro growth on a nutrient medium.