Microbiology is the study of microscopic organisms and has numerous applications in medicine, virulogy, immunology and more since the implementation of it in the lat 16th century. There are many microorganisms in the world habituating all kinds of conditions and locations, and the primary goal of microbiology to not only to identify but also characterize these populations. In the past this has been carried out by direct clonal culturing given the ease with which discoveries could be made about cultured organisms. This subsequently established a precedence for culture dependent isolations in the lab (1). However, as more evidence arose suggesting that this method only captures a small breadth of the microbial community, a new methodology has started to gain momentum. Instead of solely focusing on identifying lab-cultured microorganisms individually through phenotypic analysis of biochemical and physiological test results, samples from environments are being evaluated en masse and then identified successfully using 16S RNA sequence and phylogentic analysis (2). This new method of analysis presents to the world of microbiology not only vast room for expansion, but room for even greater medical and scientific advancements as well.
The need for new procedures was an evident one given the quick accumulation of evidence and the rising concern for the presence of what are being called unculturable microorganisms (any organisms that cannot be cultivated in a lab). Consider what has been dubbed 'the great plate anomaly,' in which when direct counts are used to quantify active cells, the viable plate counts tend to significantly differ from direct microscopic counts. This anomaly has been attributed to the fact that plates select for certai...
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... Erko Stackebrandt. 1997. Determination of Microbial Diversity in Environmental Samples: Pitfalls of PCR-based RRNA Analysis. FEBS Microbiology Review. 21:213-29. doi: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.1997.tb00351.x
Bochner, Barry R. 2009. Global Phenotypic Characterization of Bacteria. FEMS Microbiology Reviews. 33:191-205. doi: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2008.00149.x
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Gevers, Dirk, Mihai Pop, Patrick D. Schloss, and Curtis Huttenhower. 2012. Bioinformatics for the Human Microbiome Project. PLOS Computational Biology. 8. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002779
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After 48 hours of incubation the agar plates were viewed. Individual colonies were tested for successful isolation by gram staining and then viewing the stained bacteria under a microscope. Isolation was successful. One colony of each unknown bacteria was transferred to an agar slant for growth. The agar slants were stored at room temperature over the weekend so that they would not grow too much.
In this lab project, the microbiology students were given 2 unknown bacteria in a mixed broth each broth being numbered. The goal of this project is to determine the species of bacteria in the broth. They had to separate and isolate the bacteria from the mixed broth and ran numerous tests to identify the unknown bacteria. The significance of identifying an unknown bacteria is in a clinical setting. Determining the exact bacteria in order to prescribe the right treatment for the patient. This project is significant for a microbiology students because it gives necessary skills to them for future careers relating to clinical and research work.
The purpose of this study is to identify an unknown bacterium from a mixed culture, by conducting different biochemical tests. Bacteria are an integral part of our ecosystem. They can be found anywhere and identifying them becomes crucial to understanding their characteristics and their effects on other living things, especially humans. Biochemical testing helps us identify the microorganism present with great accuracy. The tests used in this experiment are rudimentary but are fundamental starting points for tests used in medical labs and helps students attain a better understanding of how tests are conducted in a real lab setting. The first step in this process is to use gram-staining technique to narrow down the unknown bacteria into one of the two big domains; gram-negative and gram-positive. Once the gram type is identified, biochemical tests are conducted to narrow down the specific bacterial species. These biochemical tests are process of elimination that relies on the bacteria’s ability to breakdown certain kinds of food sources, their respiratory abilities and other biochemical conditions found in nature.
The purpose of this laboratory is to learn about cultural, morphological, and biochemical characteristics that are used in identifying bacterial isolates. Besides identifying the unknown culture, students also gain an understanding of the process of identification and the techniques and theory behind the process. Experiments such as gram stain, negative stain, endospore and other important tests in identifying unknown bacteria are performed. Various chemical tests were done and the results were carefully determined to identify the unknown bacteria. First session of lab started of by the selection of an unknown bacterium then inoculations of 2 tryptic soy gar (TSA) slants, 1 nutrient broth (TSB), 1 nutrient gelatin deep, 1 motility
Jennifer Ackerman's main focus in her article The Ultimate Social Network, is that of the functions concerning bacteria within humans. Although scientists have had presumptions about humans being proficient in governing their body’s innermost structure, they soon come to recognize the sophistication of our inner space which holds an extensive plethora of bacteria and other microorganisms that lie within each and every one of us. Moreover, scientists' new and emerging view of how the human body operates, and the cause of increasing present-day diseases (i.e. obesity and different autoimmune disorders) are uncovered by analyzing effects of certain microbe species in our bodies. By italicizing on points such as the above, in conjunction with bacteria's genetic variations, and modern computing technology, the author proves that scientists are quickly progressing with the characterization the most prevalent species of microbes, which, in her opinion, is definitely paying off.
The eighteenth exercise of the laboratory manual titled Unknown Identification and Bergey’s Manual is an experiment to identify an unknown bacterium. In this exercise, a student must randomly choose a numbered bacterium available to the class. The keys in Appendix H, located on the last pages of the book, are the major helpful tools in this exercise because it provides completed steps of tests that needs to be performed in order to distinguish certain bacteria. This means that in this exercise, various types of tests and techniques must be performed to identify the chosen unknown bacterium. The unknown bacterium that I selected was number thirty-nine in which I discovered as the Bacillus megaterium after conducting several tests.
Todar, K. (2002). Streptococcus pyogenes (Vol. 1). Madison: University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Bact. Retrieved July 30, 2008, from http://www.textbookofbacteriology.net/streptococcus.html
Bacillus globigii. (n.d.) WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. (2003-2008). Retrieved March 20 2014 from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Bacillus+globigii
The purpose of this project was to identify unknown bacteria species from a mixed culture. The two unknown species were initially plated onto Tryptic Soy Agar (TSA), Eosin Methylene Blue (EMB), Mannitol Salt Agar (MSA), and blood agar plates to distinguish between the two different bacteria using colony size, color, shape, and growth characteristics. By identifying and inoculating the differing types of colonies, the two unknown bacteria were purified and able to be tested
Talaro , K., & Chess, B. (2012). Foundations in microbiology. (8th ed., pp. 563-564). New York, NY:
The human gut contains a huge diversity of bacteria and the microbiota, which is crucially important for maintaining human health. According to Greiner et al, the gut microbiome plays an important role as a regulator to modulate human’s metabolism when there is a change in the environment. It is because that the gut microbiome is composed of many different bacterial species, and thus it is a multicellular organ with a metabolic function (2011). Despite the huge diversity of the gut microbiome, there are only three groups of bacteria are dominated in human gut microbiome, which include Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria (Greiner et al 2011).
Introduction: Throughout the years many people have asked the same question, ‘What is Genomics and is it really ethical?’ Genomics has been seen as unethical and it is largely frowned upon in many societies today, but scientists believe otherwise. Genomics has recently become a major breakthrough for scientists and they are working on many ways to show the world that it is in no way unethical and could benefit us and generations to come. Genomics is the study of a genome, which is the complete set of DNA in organisms.
Leboffe, M. J., & Pierce, B. E. (2010). Microbiology: Laboratory Theory and Application, Third Edition 3rd Edition (3rd Ed.). Morton Publishing
Microbes are everywhere in the biosphere, and their presence invariably affects the environment in which they grow. The effects
Schueler, Thomas R. "Microbes and Urban Watersheds: Concentrations, Sources, & Pathways." Reprinted in The Practice of Watershed Protection. 2000. Center for Watershed Protection. Ellicott City, MD.