1. Introduction
The Campylobacter species observed in 1886 from Theodor Escherich in the colonic mucus of infants who had died of “cholera infantum,” but they could not be cultured. (Miliotis & Bier 2003) Mc Fadyean and Stockman in 1909 first isolated Campylobacter fetus from aborted sheep fetuses. (Miliotis & Bier 2003) After that observed that the Campylobacter which called (Vibrio fetusovid), caused septic abortion in cattle. (Miliotis & Bier 2003) This pathogen bacterium starts to create problems dysentery in the cattle.( Miliotis & Bier 2003) In 1957 the King examined people which have bloody diarrhea the reason for the disease is the Campylobacter species. (Miliotis & Bier 2003)The species of Campylobacter are Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, Campylobacter lari and Campylobacter fetus. (Miliotis & Bier 2003) The campyloCbacter is Gram-negative thin; (Siegrist 2014) Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that do not retain the crystal violet dye in the Gram stain protocol. (Miliotis & Bier 2003) Gram-negative bacteria will thus appear red or pink following a Gram stain procedure due to the effects of the counter stain. (Miliotis & Bier 2003) The shape has the Campylobacter is curved and motile rod like S or spiral. (Siegrist 2014) Finally the Campylobacter has single polar flagella at one or both ends and they exhibit a rapid darting motion (Siegrist 2014), like picture1.
Picture 1: Campylobacter shape (Lawley 2013)
2. Main Body
a. Characteristic of growth and where it is found
Campylobacter bacteria are found in all kinds of places, including the intestinal tracts of animals, including cats and dogs as well as poultry, cattle, pigs and other animals. (Alfaro 2014) The animals which have this bac...
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...the bacteria killed. (Clark 2005) Continuously something which the most of the people do wrong is defrost meat and poultry in the room temperature, they left the food above two hours and the bacteria have the temperature and the time to growth, always the defrost must become to the refrigerator or microwave. (Clark 2005) Also something important for the protection of Campylobacter is the washing of fruits and vegetables. (Clark 2005) It is important because the fruits and vegetables don’t cook and the people consume these raw. (Clark 2005) Some other things of protection are the careful contact with animals and hand washing. (Clark 2005) In my opinion the Campylobacter species is a serious bacterium and the people must be protecting better. They have to know what really happen with the position of food because the years have changed and not everything is as old.
Clostridium difficile, otherwise known as C. diff, is a species of spore-forming, anaerobic, gram-positive bacteria that is known to cause watery diarrhea. 1 The genus name, Clostridium refers to the spindle shape of the organism while Difficile means difficult in Latin due to the fact that this organism thrives in unfavorable conditions and is very difficult to isolate.4 The incidence of getting CDI has increased over the years due to new strains of increased toxin production of the bacteria and increased resistance to antibiotics.2 It is a gastrointestinal infection, and the most common cause of infectious diarrhea.1 C. difficile was first identified in the feces of healthy newborns back in the 1930’s and by 1935, it was considered normal flora. 2 During 1974, researchers conducted that about 21% of patients that were treated with an antibiotic called clindamyacin reported diarrhea and about 10% of them reported to have conducted pseudomembranous colitis as a side effect of this treatment. 2 It was in 1978 where C. diff had been known to cause anti-biotic associated diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. 2 It is known to form spores that resist many disinfectants; it also survives for several months on different surfaces.1 It is a common form of a nosocomial infection and the prevalence of becoming infected with C. diff is about 0-15% in a health care setting. 3 The spores survive well in environments such as soil, water and animals and is distributed worldwide. 4 CDI produces two toxins (Toxin A and B), which are cytotoxic and cause tissue necrosis.4
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 results of the gram stain test were cocci and purple. This indicated that the unknown bacteria were gram positive. The gram stain test eliminated Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Salmonella enterica, and Yersinia enterocolitica as choices because these bacteria are gram negative. Next a Blood Agar plate was used because in order to do a MSA or a Catalase test there needs to be a colony of the bacteria. The result of the Blood Agar plate was nonhemolytic.
Shigella flexneri, a facultative anaerobe belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae, is a Gram-negative rod that is the causative agent of diarrhea and dysentery in humans. Potentially life-threatening, S. flexneri's effects include bacteremia, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and toxic megacolon (4). The principle disease of diarrhea and dysentery caused by this pathogen is known as shigellosis. 10-100 organisms are sufficient to cause disease, and transmission is generally from person-to-person by way of fecal-oral (2). Shigellosis can be characterized as a disease with over 60% incidence in children ages 1-5 (6).
Bacteria play a large role in our health, the environment, and most aspects of life. They can be used in beneficial ways, such as decomposing wastes, enhancing fertilizer for crops, and breaking down of substances that our bodies cannot. However, many bacteria can also be very harmful by causing disease. Understanding how to identify bacteria has numerous applications and is incredibly important for anyone planning to enter the medical field or begin a career in research. Having the background knowledge of identifying an unknown bacteria may one day aid healthcare professionals diagnose their patient with a particular bacterial infection or help researchers determine various clinical, agricultural, and numerous other uses for bacteria.
Many say that history repeats itself, and throughout history, the spread of food-borne diseases has been constantly threatening humans. Salmonella, a disease which attacks numerous people a year, has returned, infected, and put people under panic of what they are eating. According to Foodborne Diseases, it is stated that “Salmonella comprises a large and diverse group of Gram-negative rods. Salmonellae are ubiquitous and have been recovered from some insects and nearly all vertebrate species, especially humans, livestock, and companion animals” (Gray and Fedorka-Cray 55). Because of the flexibility and the ability to reproduce rapidly, this infamous disease still remains as one of the most common threats in our society as well as an unconquerable problem that humans face these days.
Over the years humans have tried every possibility to overcome the health problems, spread of epidemics and infections, disease control and have worked towards a healthy society free of disease and health problems. They have succeeded to a great extent. The book “Good germs, bad germs” describes that though the life expectancy is now far more as it was in previous eras. Epidemic problems and infectious diseases are now getting lesser and lesser and humans are being treated successfully. The hygienic conditions have also been improved so as to ensure least growth of microbes, germs, parasites and bacteria. Antibiotics have been invented to address diseases and infections caused by bacteria and viruses. With all these substantial efforts the biologists, physicians and scientists have triggered another epidemic which is even more severe. They have killed those microbes and bacterial species which were human friendly and as a result of either their disruption or mutation, pathogenic bacteria have even become more active and resistant to treatments. This has led to increased ineffectiveness of antibiotic drugs, low immunity and various infections and inflammatory diseases. The chlorinated water for drinking and food processing along with excessive hygienic conditions indicates our fight against these bacteria and germs. Further, these antibiotics are even given to the livestock which becomes our food and as result many of their resistant germs end up in our digestive tract and other organs. Thus, the war against microbes through excessive cleanliness and use of antibiotics has resulted in antibiotic resistance among humans, which has become one of the prominent problems of medical science
“People can become infected with antibiotic bacteria from a variety of resources. [such as] meat or other foods. if not properly cooked [and] workers who have contact with animals at factory farms.” (Gale, 2013). The fact that there are chances for people to get sick from their most desired foods shows how bad factory farming can be.
Raw meat and poultry treated with irradiation could eliminate bacteria common for these foods, such as E. coli, Salmonella, and Campylobacter. Irradiating prepared, ready- to eat meats such as hot dogs and deli meats, may eliminate the risk of Listeria. Additionally, Cyclosporine parasites and bacteria such as Shigella and Salmonella from fresh produce could be removed. There is also potential benefit for dry foods that are stored for long times and transported over great distances, like spices and grains. (1)
The most commonly recognized food borne infections are those caused by the bacteria Campylobacter, Salmonella, and E. coli 0157:H7, and by a group of viruses called Calicivirus, also know as the Norwalk viruses. “Thousands of types of bacteria are naturally present in our environment, but not all bacteria cause disease in humans.” (Schmutz 1)
Produced by the bacteria, vibrio cholerae that creates a toxin that affects the absorption of water in the small intestine, Cholera is an infectious disease. The majority of the bacteria is wiped out by gastric acid when ingested, while the surviving bacteria settle in the small intestine and begin making the toxin that produces the symptoms of Cholera. The toxin created by the bacteria, Vibrio Cholerae, is a exotoxin. Vibrio Cholerae is a member of the Vibrionaceae family of curved gram-negative rods. They are found in coastal waters and estuaries, and tend to grow best in the company of salt. However, they can develope in lower salinity when it is warmer and contains sufficient organic materials. (Harris, LaRocque, Qadri, Ryan, Calderwood/ 2012)
It is estimated that over one-half of the antibiotics in the U.S. are used in food animal production. The overuse of antimicrobials in food animal production is an under-appreciated problem. In both human and veterinary medicine, the risk of developing resistance rises each time bacteria are exposed to antimicrobials. Resistance opens the door to treatment failure for even the most common pathogens and leads to an increasing number of infections. The mounting evidence of the relationship between antimicrobial use in animal husbandry and the increase in bacterial resistance in humans has prompted several reviews of agricultural practices by scientific authorities in a number of countries, including the US.
A SWOT analysis of the food control system in Bahrain revealed that certain strengths and weaknesses are inherent in the system. In addition to the weaknesses and the strengths, there are threats that would negatively affect the system if not prevented or brought under control. Nevertheless, the there are opportunities available for responding to the threats, making the Bahrain food control systems more efficient and effective. It is therefore important that some or all of these strengths, opportunities, threats, and weaknesses are reviewed. Conspicuous among the weaknesses is the fact that limited resources are available for the agencies and the personnel employed in the Bahrain food control system. Related to lack of resources is the lack of skills and competencies in applying modern techniques, more so in microbiological and chemical analysis. The second weakness of the Bahrain food control system is that most of the laws and regulations on food safety and control are not based on risk- or science-based analysis. In other words, the laws could be outdated and irrelevant in comparison with the latest mechanisms by which pathogens and other contaminants affect foodstuffs (Nestle, 2007). Furthermore, Bahrain lacks the technical expertise or competent enough personnel who could assess the effectiveness and the applicability of their food control laws.
Extreme care must be taken not to leave food out before or after meals. If food is stored inside the tent, the tent must never be left open.