Macconkey Agar: Experiment: Types Of Biochemical Experiment

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In this experiment, a series of biochemical test and API 20 E test are carried out to identify the unknown bacterial species provided.
MacConkey agar, a selective and differential medium which is designed to isolate and differentiate the gram negative enteric bacteria. Bile salts and crystal violet inhibit the growth of gram positive organisms. Lactose provides a source of fermentable carbohydrate, allowing for differentiation of lactose fermenting bacteria from lactose non-fermenting gram negative bacteria. It uses for differentiate gram negative bacteria between phenotypes with mutations that confer varying abilities to ferment particular sugar. The medium surrounding gram-negative bacteria will show a change in colour. Neutral red in MacConkey …show more content…

The bacteria ferment lactose, then cause the pH of the media agar to drop and resultant change in pH is detected by neutral red. The neutral red is absorbed by the lactose fermenting bacteria and appear as bright pink to red on the MacConkey agar. The strong lactose fermenting bacteria produce resulting in a pink halo in medium while the weaker growing on MacConkey agar will still appear pink to red but will not be surrounded by a pink halo in the surrounding medium. The gram-negative bacteria that grow but do not ferment lactose appear as colourless on MacConkey agar plate. The agar surrounding the bacteria remains transparent. Lactose can be replaced in the medium by other sugars and the abilities of gram-negative bacteria to ferment these replacement sugars is detectable in the same way as lactose …show more content…

This test usually used to differentiate catalase positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus spp. and the Micrococcus spp. from catalase negative Streptococcus and Enterococcus spp. Bacteria lacking the cytochrome system, also lack the catalase enzyme and are unable to break down hydrogen peroxide, into oxygen and water and are catalase negative. The effervescence resulting from production of oxygen gas clearly indicate a catalase positive result. From the experimental observation, the unknown bacteria provided shows positive test with gas bubbles formation indicating the presence of

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