Identification Of An Unknown Bacterium

The purpose of this lab was to identify two unknown bacteria from a mixed culture. The reason for identification of unknown bacteria was to help students recognize different bacteria through different biochemical tests and characteristics. This is important in the medical field because identification of unknown bacteria can help treat a patient by knowing the contributing source of a disease. Also knowledge of different bacteria helped others make antibiotics used today. This lab was completed by using the methods learned thus far in identification of bacteria.

For many years the identification of microorganisms has been important in the world of medicine. It is essential or correct disease diagnosis in patients and for proper treatment. Knowing the correct identity and characteristics of microorganism is crucial when disease outbreaks occur in populations, also knowing how humans can benefit from microorganisms is important; many can be used in making certain foods or antibiotics.

The first result of importance was the result of the Gram stain. The observations of the unknown bacteria from the slant culture after Gram staining showed that the unknown bacteria were Gram negative bacilli (Image 1). After determining the unknown bacteria was Gram negative, an oxidase test was conducted on a sample from the slant culture. The cotton swap with the sample of bacteria did not change color when the oxidase reagent was applied, thus providing a negative result. With a negative oxidase test, further tests were conducted to determine various characteristics of the unknown bacteria. A MR-VP broth was inoculated with a sample from a slant culture of unknown bacteria. After incubation, the methyl red reagent was added to the broth, and the broth turned red, providing a positive result (Image 2). An EMB agar streak plate was inoculated with a sample from a slant culture of the unknown bacteria, and after incubation, growth was found on the plate, providing a positive result (Image 3). A Citrate agar slant was inoculated, and after incubation, growth was found on the media, providing a positive result (Image 4). A Urea agar slant was inoculated, and after incubation, the agar had changed from a peach color to a bright pink color, providing a positive result (Image 5). Using the flowchart (Figure 1) developed from the Table of Expected Results, the lab partners started at the oxidase test. Given the negative result of the oxidase test, the flowchart is

Unknown bacteria determined to be Alcaligenes faecalis because of its morphological, physiological and metabolic properties.

There are many reasons for knowing the identity of microorganisms. The reasons range from knowing the causative agent of a disease in a patient, so as to know how it can be treated, to knowing the correct microorganism to be used for making certain foods or antibiotics. This study was done by applying all of the methods that I have been learned so far in the microbiology laboratory class for the identification of an unknown bacterium.

Being able to figure out an unknown culture or bacteria is very important and a great knowledge to have. It helps people every day from finding cures to bacterial infections, discovering new kinds or simply just knowing the limits of what they are capable of. It allows scientist to know how to kill them treat then and ect. along with determining if they are harmful or benefit humans, and plants Along with being able to identify different species of

In our world we are surrounded by microorganisms, some are harmless, many are beneficial; they are a part of our normal flora on our skin and in our intestines, providing a barrier against microorganisms that may not be so harmless. It is important, however, to distinguish which microorganisms are potentially pathogenic from those that are not, and when someone does get ill to determine what the organism is so appropriate treatment can be determined.

In addition, many of the drugs available to treat infectious disease actually originate from bacteria and fungi. In Biology, constant inquiry of the mechanisms of life lead to new discoveries every day. Clearly, microbes are very important for studying and understanding our world. Dr. Henkin stressed their importance in the seminar, specifically the study of bacteria and bacteria’s manipulation of gene expression.

Many books that can be read will captivate you, can give you another world to live in, can sweep you off of your feet and never set you back down again. Rarely can a book alter your view so entirely about the world you live in, just by giving you more information about what exactly your world is made up of. The book Good Germs, Bad Germs did this for me. Each chapter strategically broke down the history of microbes and bacteria and how they have been perceived (or not perceived) throughout history. Each expanding step lists the theories that were building blocks for the future of the study of microbes. From Nurse Nightingale, Colonel George Waring, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek and Bonnie Bassler there were medical advances that helped the field of medicine greatly. Even groups who did not believe in the germs made large steps to clean up the population. Each person mentioned in the book had some sort of contribution to the start of fighting against bacteria and viruses, with Nurse Nightingale disinfecting the work area, Waring started cleaning up the streets and created the way to keep sewage separate from the drinking water and Leeuwenhoek who identified bacteria in the first place.

Background – Microscopic, single celled organisms known as bacteria can be found everywhere. They can be beneficial but they can also be dangerous, such as when they cause infection, which can lead to diseases. Escherichia coli is a germ, or a bacterium, that lives in the digestive paths

We share this earth with a wide diversity of organisms, many of which we are unaware. Microorganisms are so abundant that it is estimated that there are one hundred million times more microbes on earth than there are stars in the sky (Francis, 2009). God created everything with a specific design. Microbes are a great example of that. According to the Bible, in Colossians 1:16, “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or power. All this were created through Him and for Him” (NKJV). Microbes have many different functions and abilities, some are beneficial and others are harmful, but they were made with a purpose. These microscopic microbes play a critical role to life on earth. Without microbes we would not be able to survive; they balance the life in our

Did you know that there are more than a thousand different types of different tiny organisms called microbiota living inside your digestive system? Most people are probably grossed out by that, but it’s actually a good thing. The organisms break down food that our bodies can’t so that we can get nutrients from it. The article Gut biogeography of the bacterial microbiota explains that there are a lot of factors that affect the lives of the microbiota inside our digestive system. What we eat is a big factor that affects how microbiota live. When we were babies and drank breast milk, our microbiota used the nutrients from the milk to outlive other bacteria that could have been harmful to us. Experiments done to prove this were called

Bacteria, fungi, viruses and other organisms that make up the digestive system of our body actually outnumber the quantity of our cells. Over time research has made clear that these small organisms play a very important role in our health - both physically and mentally. All these microbes that inhabit our body are called microbiome, and they are estimated to weigh between two to six pounds. Most of these microbes live in our gut and intestines and they help us digest food, incorporate vitamins, and fight infections. Recent studies have revealed that bacteria in our digestive system not only affect our physical health, but it also plays a major role in our mental health. Gut microbiome has been linked to a range of complex behaviors, such

When the words bacteria or virus are used, typically thoughts of bad memories of being sick come to mind. Yet, there is another side to them. These tiny organisms can be beneficial in

But what are their limits? How unforgiving and brutal does an environment need to be before microbes die? Researchers still don’t know, as they’ve detected chemical life signs from 4 kilometers below the floor of the ocean.