Uknown Microorganism Lab Report

There are many differents ways to identify a bacterial unknown and many different situations where identification would be beneficial. One way to identify bacterial unknowns is to perform biochemical tests. In this experiment multiple biochemical tests were done, by performing these tests on the bacterial unknown received the two different bacteria were then identified. The citrate test is done to test the ability of organisms to use citrate as a carbon source. This test uses Simmons citrate agar, the agar contains sodium citrate as the only carbon source and has bromothymol blue as the pH indicator. The organisms that use citrate as a carbon source use the enzyme to transport the citrate into the cell. The cells converts ammonium dihydrogen

The colonies were smooth, translucent, and had a white brownish color. The Gram stain resulted in Gram positive cocci. After the Gram stain was completed, the bacteria were streaked on a Mannitol-Salt Agar plate and a Catalase test was performed. After these test were completed a Phenol Red Dextrose Fermentation tube was inoculated, and a SIM Tube inoculated.

The Gram stain was used to determine if the bacteria was gram positive or negative. A negative test shows a pink color and a positive test is a purple color. When a bacterium is negative it is because it has an outer membrane and a thin layer of peptidoglycan that is much harder to stain. A positive bacterium has a thick layer of peptidoglycan and no outer membrane that can be penetrated by crystal violet.

This experiment was conducted to find the genus and species of an unknown bacteria prescribed by the lab teacher, which was unknown bacteria GA3 in my case. Identification of unknown bacteria techniques are used on an every day basis to figure out what type of bacteria it is and to find the best method of how to treat a patient with this bacteria (1). All five “I’s” of Microbiology were used in the testing for the unknown culture. Inoculation was used several times to put the unknown culture into agar plates or into biochemical test tubes. After Inoculation of these tubes or plates, they always were placed into the incubator for further growth and development. Isolation was used to make sure we got the correct bacteria we were testing for. After each further isolation, we gram stained the culture and inspected the culture under a microscope to further help in the identification process of the unknown bacteria. Multiple tests were done on the unknown culture to make sure we were confident in what kind of bacteria the unknown was.

The first step toward identifying this unknown organism was to perform a Gram Stain to differentiate between gram positive and gram negative bacteria. This is an important step because it directs what the next tests will be. My Gram Stain on sample #12 showed that the bacteria was gram negative, however, after receiving the results of the OF glucose, H2S, Citrate, Urease and Motility tests, it was apparent that my Gram Stain was contaminated. I then performed a catalase test which came back negative, so I ordered a Bacitracin disc, Optochin disc and a CAMP test which had to be incubated overnight. After receipt of those test results,

Bacteria are ubiquitous; they can be found on the skin, in the soil, and inside the body. Because of the very nature of this ubiquity, it is important to be able to determine between different strains of bacteria. An example of this is determining the causative agent for a disease so that the patient will be treated with the appropriate antibiotics. It may be important to determine the bacteria in a certain region, because like with enteric bacteria, it is normal to find them in the digestive tract as they are in a symbiotic relationship with our bodies in this area; however, they also cause opportunistic infections in places outside of the digestive tract to our detriment, such as with a urinary tract infection. Some strains of bacteria are common to nosocomial infections, and identifying these bacteria as such helps create the guidelines for healthcare workers in antiseptic technique. All of the morphology and characteristics of each strain of bacteria help us to better understand the role of bacteria in the body as well as helps us understand how they can cause illness, and what treatment regimen to set in place. In lab this semester, a sample of unknown

Preliminary studies help identify Genus species of bacteria. Two different preliminary study pathways must be used since two different pathogens were found in the sample. A dilution and a quadrant streak are the ideal methods to separate pure cultures of bacteria. MacConkey Agar and CAN (MAC) is a selective media that is used for the cultivation of gram negative bacteria. (PEA) is a selective media that is used

I inoculated a T-Soy agar with bacteria number 118, for this I used a streak isolation method. Next, in order to distinguish between Gram positive and Gram negative I used a streak isolation technique on a CNA plate, then performed the same exact procedure on a MacConkey plate. The results from the CNA plate showed the Gram Positive bacteria was an Alpha hemolyzer. Next, I used a P Disc on a T-Soy agar inoculated with bacteria 118 and determined the Gram Positive bacteria was not sensitive to P Disc antibiotics. This revealed the Gram Positive bacteria to be Streptococcus Mitis. The results from the MacConkey plate proved the Gram Negative bacteria to be a lactose fermenter. With the Gram Negative bacteria I performed a lysine test with positive results. Next, I performed an ornithine test on the Gram Negative bacteria, with negative results, therefore I concluded the Gram Negative bacteria was Klebsiella pneumoniae.

The purpose of this report is to analyse the growth of the bacteria known as Citrobacter Freundii as well as distinguishing what antibiotics effect its growth. This will be done so by answering the following question after completing its associated experiments. This question includes: what antibiotics are most effective in denaturing the bacteria? It has been predicted that chloramphenicol will be the most effective due to the fact that its medical uses are treating meningitis which is an infection caused by Citrobacter freundii. After conducting the experiments it was found that the chloramphenicol antibiotic was the most effective in denaturing the bacteria, although streptomycin was also affective. However, none of the other antibiotics were able to halt the growth of the bacteria.

In the world of microbiology it is vitally important to be able to discern the identities of microorganisms. Not only is it important in a lab setting but as well as in healthcare in general. Properly identify what strain of bacteria a person has will aid in the proper medicine and dose given. Throughout the semester we have learned about different types of bacteria and certain test that can clearly identify them. The purpose of this lab report is to identify a Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacterium. Using all the knowledge of procedures and lab techniques identify the unknown and discuss all the tests you performed.

The purpose of this study was to identify the unknown bacterium #305. This sample was collected from the urine of a 64 year old hospital patient named “Doris”. Several tests were conducted to determine the morphological and physiological characteristics of the unknown. These tests included but were not limited to: motility, gram staining, salinity tolerance, and fermentation of different substances. After assessing the observed results, the identity of unknown bacterium #305 was suggested to be Citrobacter freundii. The test results, with the exception of the urea test, were very consistent with the expected results.

An elimination genus tree was used to determine the unknown organism’s genera. Gram negative Escherichia, Pseudomonas, and Serratia were eliminated as the possible genera of the unknown organism. (1) The gram characteristic of the unknown organism was determined with gram staining, absence of growth on MacConkey media, and negative result for the Sticky test. The unknown organism was gram stained purple, which was the same stain for Staphylococcus epidermidis, the gram positive

E. faecium is a human pathogen that causes nosocomial bacteremia, surgical wound infection, endocarditis, and urinary tract infections. Nosocomial infections are those acquired in medical setting during treatment of a prior complaint. The normal habitat includes the gastrointestinal tract of a multitude of animals but it can also be found in the oral cavity and vaginal tract.(3) The microbe can survive for long periods of time in soil, sewage, and inside hospitals on a variety of surfaces.(6) It can grow in temperatures ranging from 10 to 45 degrees Celsius, in basic or acidic environments, and in environments which are isotonic or hypertonic.(3)

In this lab experiment, students had to create a growth curve for E. coli. The E. coli growth curve would illustrate the progression of the population of E. coli a set time period. In this case, the growth curve depicted the population of E. coli over a 12-hour period. The growth curve for E. coli was created from the absorbance levels, the optical density(OD), recorded from the spectrophotometer.

Life on this planet began with microorganisms. Through millions of years microorganisms have found ways to successfully adapt and survive. These adaptations have created a wide biodiversity, allowing them to basically populate in all places. Why are these microbes so important? Because they shape the history of our world. Some microbes can be deathly to humans while some others are favorable, for example, bacteria that lives in the gut of both humans and animals and helps during the process of digestion (Alfred Brown & Heidi Smith, 2006). Understanding these interactions help scientists to find ways to protect humans from potential deathly pathogens. In order to observe microbes, microscope proficiency and microorganisms’ identification are crucial skills in a microbiology lab. During this laboratory session, samples of environmental and human organisms were inoculated into two different rich media and incubated to their according temperature. After this, appropriate use and calibration of the microscope was performed. Lastly, morphology and size of different species of bacteria, algae, fungi and protozoan were recorded.