Case Study: An Unknown Booth Culture

1146 Words3 Pages

Discussion
Materials and Methods
An unknown broth culture labeled # 17 was supplied by the lab instructor to identify the bacteria. We prepared a SOP by incorporating laboratory techniques that were considered as determinative tests in the dichotomous keys (appendix B and appendix C). The first two steps we performed to form the basis of identification were Gram’s staining and plate streaking of the sample. The supplied broth culture was streaked out simultaneously on one of each Trypticase Soy Agar (TSA), Mannitol Salt Agar (MSA) and MacConkey Agar (MAC) plate. The streaking was performed using the quadrant streak method described in the lab manual (Leboffe & Pierce, 2010). After observing the colony morphology and growth pattern, we further …show more content…

We arranged the subsequent determinative biochemical tests after the dichotomous keys for definite identification of the bacteria present in broth sample. As the initial screening tests identified the unknown bacterial broth as a mixture of gram-positive cocci and gram-negative bacilli, we organized two different test regimes to follow the dichotomous keys. Figure 1 Flow diagram of biochemical tests for Gram-positive cocci
Figure-1 illustrated the test result and the direction of tests that we accomplished to set up the SOP of gram-positive cocci. The catalase test was vital because it categorized the gram-positive cocci into two major groups. We evaluated the test results with the standards of media reactions described in Difco manual (Zimbro, et al., 2009). Most tests of SOP supported the identity of gram-positive coccus as Micrococcus luteus. However, glucose test did not support the dichotomous key, and it was fermentative. For this, we performed more biochemical tests of oxidase, nitrate reduction, and cultured further the pure culture on BPEY tellurite Agar. These later tests reinforced the identification of Micrococcus luteus that was shown in figure …show more content…

The test results as evaluated with standard media reactions suggested the most reasonable identity of gram-negative bacilli as Citrobacter freundii. The oxidase test was vital as it categorized the gram-negative bacteria into two major groups. The tests scheduled in SOP supported the definitive identification of gram negative bacillus. Some of the tests provided more implications than others. Since all the tests were consistent with the dichotomous key, we did not perform further tests for species characterization of the bacillus. A photograph of isolated gram-negative bacillus was presented in figure

More about Case Study: An Unknown Booth Culture

Open Document