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Identification of Unknown Bacteria Lab Report
General Microbiology Lab (BIO-215L)
Grand Canyon University
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MicrobiologyPreview text
Briana Gonzalez
BIO-215L & W
2/28/
Professor Vera
Identification of Unknown Bacteria Lab Report Aim The objective of this lab is to determine the genus and species of an unknown bacteria through multiple procedures such as the Gram stain and streak plate methods. In addition, students will learn how to conduct biochemical tests that rule out which unknown bacterium the student may obtain. Along with comparing selective and differential media, and rapid membrane analysis (Denzler, 2016). Through this experiment, students will acquire more experience in aseptic and staining techniques learned from previous labs to initiate the identification of the unknown bacterium. This experiment obliges students to interpret results of various tests depending on the presence of gram-positive or gram-negative staining in order to precisely identify the mysterious bacterium.
Materials
Activity 1 – Identification of a Bacterial Unknown
24-hour unknown bacterial culture broth
Glass microscope slides
Bunsen burner
Inoculating loop
Permanent marker
Gloves
NA plate
MAC plate
EMB plate
Blood agar plate
Hydrogen peroxide
Oxidase test strip
MSA plate
Bile esculin filter
UTI filter Methods
Day 1
With the usage of aseptic technique, a streak from a specific organism will be arranged onto a NA plate with a sterile loop for colony isolation and afterwards incubated at 37oC for a few days. Then, after sterilizing the loop create another streak from the same organism onto a MAC plate for selection and differentiation analysis.
Day 2
agar plate or the MSA plate. Each student was consequently required to confirm with the instructor to ensure that the bacteria predicted was accurate.
Results
Discussion Bacteria essentially are microscopic organisms that are ubiquitous. Their characteristics vary from good or bad which can either be helpful or harmful to us. When identifying bacteria many factors such as gram staining, growth, medium, and color play an important role in the process. Bacterial identification is done through a series of procedures involving selective and differential media. Selective media is made up of unique ingredients that stop certain microbes from developing in a mixed culture while allowing others to grow (Denzler, 2016). The selective media used in this lab was the MAC plate. Differential media is composed of unique ingredients in growth media that enable visual observation to differentiate specific species or groups of bacteria (Denzler, 2016). The differential media in this experiment was the blood agar. Selective and differential media were both used to isolate the organisms. Conclusively, the selective media promote the growth of some species while inhibiting the growth of others while differential media distinguish species or classes of organisms that are closely related (Denzler, 2016). Biochemical tests were conducted to identify the individual bacterial species. Another test
learned how to conduct biochemical tests to rule out certain bacteria and identify which unknown bacterium the student obtained. In this experiment, the unknown bacteria #1 was identified through several tests such as selective and differential media, biochemical tests, and rapid membrane tests. In the end it was concluded to be Staphylococcus epidermis. Many of these tests could be used in a hospital setting to isolate pathogens and aid in a diagnosis of certain diseases or infections. Selective and differential media is commonly used in the medical field to isolate or identify closely related organisms to approach a diagnosis safely and efficiently. Since clinical samples are likely to contain a wide range of microorganisms, including both natural flora and pathogens, it's essential to isolate the pathogen in a pure culture using a variety of selective and differential media. Overall, identifying bacterium is essential in the medical field because it allows for prognosis to be determined accurately and safely while still conducting tests to aid in the process.
References
Reece, J. B., Urry, L. A., Cain, M. L., Wasserman, S. A., Minorsky, P. V., Jackson, R., & Campbell, N. A. (2011). Campbell Biology. Retrieved 28 February 2022, from viewer.gcu/24WWXP
Denzler, K. (2016). The Identification of Unknown Bacteria. Laboratory Manual for Applications of Microbiology. Retrieved February 28, 2022, from lc.gcumedia/bio205l/laboratory-manual-for-applications-of- microbiology/v3/#/chapter/
Identification of Unknown Bacteria Lab Report
Course: General Microbiology Lab (BIO-215L)
University: Grand Canyon University
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