Catalase Test Lab Report

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DISCUSSION
The purpose of this study was to isolate, characterize, and identify an unknown species of bacteria collected from soil in Flagstaff, Arizona. The environmental isolate (EI) was found to be non-motile, this limits the bacteria from spreading across an area without outside forces. The EI had a positive reaction to the catalase test this indicates that the bacteria can convert harmful hydrogen peroxide into water and free oxygen (Shand and Fitchett 2017). It was also discovered that the EI was a strict aerobe which is significant because it cannot live without oxygen. This limits the area the bacteria can survive in. It was discovered that the EI was predominantly arranged in clusters and had the ability to produce a biofilm. This …show more content…

This was narrowed down to Table 17.1 because the EI is a strict aerobe. Table 17.1 was viewed and it contained only six genera. Within the table there were twelve characteristics the genera were tested for, but only four of those tests were done on the EI. Those four tests were the motility test, the catalase test production of acid from carbohydrates, and cell arrangement (Table 2). The catalase test was positive for all genera, but the motility test was only positive for Marinococcus and Planococcus (Table 2). This difference helped to make the decision that the EI was not one of these two genera. Deinococcus was ruled out based on its cells predominantly arranging in pairs or tetrads (Table 2). There were only two genera that seemed close to the cell arrangement of the EI. The genera were Micrococcus which predominantly shows clusters or tetrads and Salinicoccus which forms pairs, tetrads, and clumps (Table 2). The EI is mostly arranged in clusters or clumps (Table 2). These results left Salinicoccus and Micrococcus as the two genera that the majority of tests in Bergey’s Manual of Determinative Bacteriology match with. Miccrococcus was chosen from the remaining two genera because Salinicoccus prefers moderately saline environment making it much less likely to be found in Arizona mountain soil (Ventosa …show more content…

Micrococcus is nonmotile, catalase positive, and does not form endospores (Busse 2015). The EI shares all of the previous characteristics with Micrococcus (Table 2). The EI and Micrococcus form the same cell arrangements and Micrococcus can be found in soil, where the EI was taken from (Sims et al. 1986). Micrococcus can often produce acid from carbohydrates, but not all species produce acid from the same carbohydrates (Holt et al. 2000). The EI did not produce any acid with the four carbohydrates tested but this genus is still valid because the EI could be one of the species that does not produce acid for these carbohydrates. Micrococcus can also withstand harsh habitats even without an endospore, making it well suited for environments like Flagstaff Arizona where the EI was collected (Greenblatt et al.

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