Midterm -1913L – Flashcards

Unlock all answers in this set

Unlock answers
question
Classifications of media
answer
1) Non-selective - most organisms can grow (general purpose media)
2) Selective - Inhibits growth of some groups, but allows for growth of others.
3) Differential - Allows for identification of certain species or groups of organisms.
4) Enrichment - Used to isolate organisms from complex samples.
question
Solidifying agent used in our lab
answer
Agar
question
Difference between broth and solid media
answer
Broth does not contain agar; solid media does
question
Fomite
answer
Inanimate object that can harbor pathogens
question
Ubiquity of microorganisms
answer
Microorganisms are EVERYWHERE
question
Aseptic technique
answer
Methodology used to reduce contamination of cultures, people, and workspace
question
Innoculation
answer
To introduce a microorganism into
question
Growth patterns in broth
answer
Pellicle, Turbidity, Sediment, and Flocculent
question
Benefits of a digital pipette
answer
Allows the experimenter to transfer precise volumes of liquid from one container to another.
question
Number of cells a colony arises from
answer
One
(i.e. 1 colony = 1 cell)
question
Understand the microscope and total magnification
answer
See PowerPoint from Lab 2
question
Streak plate
answer
Serves to:
1) Isolate pure colonies of bacteria from a mixed culture of bacterial species
2) Observe morphology of the isolated colonies for identification and classification
question
Spread plate
answer
Used to evenly distribute bacterial cells over entire plate surface (2 possible results):
1) Spread concentrated samples to create an even lawn of bacterial growth
2) Spread diluted sample of bacteria so individual colonies can be seen
*100?L is the standard amount used for spread plates*
question
What is used with 100X on our microscopes
answer
Immersion oil (or Ooyle, if you're from AL) ;)
question
Smear prep procedure
answer
Draw a circle on the back of a clean slide with marker
Flame loop
If making smear from an agar plate:
-Apply a couple of drops of water to slide and smear a small amount of bacteria in the water
-Flame loop
If making smear from a broth culture:
-Take a loopful of bacteria and smear on the slide (No Water)
-Flame loop
Make sure to spread bacteria evenly over most of the slide surface to create a thin smear
Air dry smear completely
Apply enough methanol to cover and fix the smear, let sit for 5-10 seconds
Rinse with water
question
Purpose of fixing
answer
Fixing serves 2 purposes:
1)Adheres the cells to the slide
2) Kills the organism
question
Difference between simple and Gram staining
answer
Simple uses only ONE stain, while Gram uses a primary and a secondary stain.
question
Gram stain steps and components
answer
Step 1: Flood slide with Crystal Violet for 30 seconds - 1 minute
Wash with H2O
-Acts as Primary Stain
Step 2: Flood slide with Gram’s Iodine for 30 seconds - 1 minute
Wash with H2O
-Acts as Mordant
Step 3: Decolorize with Acetone alcohol for a few seconds
Wash with H2O
-Acts as Decolorizer
Step 4: Flood slide with Safranin for 30 seconds - 1 min
Wash with H2O
-Acts as Secondary Stain
question
Purpose of Gram stain
answer
Differentiate between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Also allows determination of (1) cell morphology, (2) size, and (3) arrangement.
question
Gram stain results
answer
+ = Blue (purple)
- = Pink
question
Purpose of endospore
answer
Allows bacterium to survive in poor environmental conditions
question
Purpose of flagella
answer
Motility
question
What characteristics can be determined from simple stain
answer
Cellular morphology
Cellular arrangement
question
Cell wall component that dictates Gram reaction
answer
Peptidoglycan
question
Most critical Gram step
answer
Step 3 - decolorization
question
Endospore staining procedure (Schaeffer-Fulton method)
answer
Step 1: Flood slide with Malachite Green
-Acts as Primary Stain
Step 2: Heat over steam bath for 5 min
-Acts as Mordant
Step 3: Rinse with Water for a few seconds
-Acts as Decolorizer
Step 4: Flood slide with Safranin for 2 min
-Acts as Secondary Stain
question
Acid Fast stain
answer
Used primarily to stain & identify members of the genera Mycobacterium and Nocardia
-A differential stain used to detect the presence of mycolic acids in the cell wall
-Cells typically don’t stain well with Gram Stain method
-Acid-fast organisms stain pink and non-acid fast organisms stain light blue with these methods
question
Capsule stain
answer
Used to visualize gelatinous coating that surrounds some bacteria
SMEAR IS NOT HEATED or the capsule melts!
Background is stained by one of the following stains:
(a) Nigrosin
(b) India Ink
(c) Congo Red
Counterstain with a basic stain to stain cells
*Important to use older cultures so capsules have time to form*
question
Flagella stain
answer
Many bacteria are motile due to production of flagella
Flagella are very fine, hair-like structures that are difficult to stain due to their small size and delicate nature
Requires the addition of mordant and stain to increase the diameter of flagella for microscopic observation
question
Flagellar arrangements
answer
Monotrichous (single polar)
Lophotrichous (clump of tuft at one or both poles)
Amphitrichous (single flagella at each pole)
Peritrichous (covered)
question
Acid fast families
answer
Myobacterium
Nocardia
question
Spore-producing famililes
answer
Bacillus
Clostridium
question
Mannitol Salt Agar (MSA)
answer
Selective Agent: NaCl (Salt)
-Selects for Staphyloccus spp.
Differential Agent: Mannitol
-Differentiates pathogenic from non pathogenic Staphylococcus spp.
pH Indicator: Phenol Red
-Indicates acid production due to mannitol fermentation
question
Phenylethyl Alcohol Agar (PEA)
answer
Selects for Gram positives
-Growth of Gram negative organisms should be reduced or inhibited
Selective Agent: Phenylethyl Alcohol
Not Differential
question
Eosin Methylene Blue Agar (EMB)
answer
Selects for Gram negatives
-Growth of Gram positive organisms should be reduced or inhibited
Selective Agents: Eosin Y & Methylene Blue
Differential Agent: Lactose
-Differentiates lactose fermenters from lactose non fermenters
Indicator: Eosin Y
-Indicates acid production due to lactose fermentation
E. coli is easily identified by the production of green, metallic sheen
question
MacConkey Agar (MAC)
answer
Selective for Gram negatives
-Growth of Gram positive organisms should be reduced or inhibited
Selective Agents: Crystal Violet & Bile Salts
Differential Agent: Lactose
-Differentiates lactose fermenters from lactose non fermenters
pH Indicator: Neutral Red
-Indicates acid production due to lactose fermentation
question
Sheep's Blood Agar (SBA)
answer
Selective agent: None
Differential agent: Blood
question
Hemolytic patterns
answer

(beta) hemolysis - complete lysis of RBCs

(alpha) hemolysis - partial lysis of RBCs

(gamma) hemolysis - no lysis of RBCs

question
Catalase test
answer
Identifies organisms that produce the enzyme catalase
Differentiates families of Gram positive cocci
-Catalase (+) Micrococcaceae from
-Catalase (-) Streptococcaceae
Substrate: hydrogen peroxide
(+) test: bubbles form immediately
(-) test: no bubbles
question
Oxidase test
answer
Identifies bacteria that produce the respiratory enzyme cytochrome c oxidase
Differentiates families of Gram negative rods
-Oxidase (-) Enterobacteriaceae from
-Oxidase (+) Pseudomonadaceae
Reagent: Oxidase reagent
(+) test: blue color appears within seconds
(-) test: no color change
question
Coagulase test
answer
Differentiates S. aureus from other Gram-positive cocci
Substrate: rabbit plasma
(+) test: formation of white clumps
(-) test: milky white liquid (no clumps)
question
Amylase test
answer
Media: Starch Agar Plate (SA) Reagent: (Lugol's) Iodine (I2KI - Iodine Potassium Iodide)After incubation, plate is flooded with iodine:(-) test: Iodine binds with remaining starch in the plate to produce a dark brown/black color(+) test: As a result of starch breakdown, a clear area or halo will be visible around the colony that produces amylase
question
Urease test
answer
Differentiates organisms based on their ability to hydrolyze urea with urease
Helpful in detecting rapid urease positive organisms such as Proteus sp. from other Enterobacteriaceae
Media: Urea agar slant
Positive reaction overcomes the buffer in the medium and changes the color of the slant
(+) test: Hot pink slant
(-) test: Peach or yellow slant
pH Indicator: Phenol Red
question
Aerotolerance
answer
The ability or inability of an organism to grow in the presence of molecular oxygen (O2)
question
Classificaitons of aerotolerance
answer

Obligate aerobe - requires O2 for growth

Falcultative anaerobe - can grow in the presence or absence of O2

Obligate anaerobe - cannot grow in the presence of O2

Microaerophile - requires low levels of O2

Capnophile - requires elevated levels of CO2

question
Thioglycollate medium
answer
A liquid medium formulated to promote growth of a fastidious anaerobes without an anaerobe jar
-Creates anaerobic conditions by reducing oxygen to water
Oxygen Indicator: Resazurin
If oxygen present = Pink/Red
If no oxygen present = Colorless
question
Anaerobic jar
answer
Provides an anaerobic environment as a result of an added anaerobic gas pack
Oxygen indicator: Methylene Blue
If oxygen present = blue
If no oxygen present = colorless (white)
question
Most prevalent mutation caused by UV
answer
Thymine dimers
question
UV Radiation
answer
Short wave length
Mutagenic because it excites nucleic acid bases in DNA
Penetrates glass and plastic poorly
Prolonged exposure is lethal to cells
question
Membrane filtration
answer
Used to detect and directly count fecal coliforms in water
Normally use a 0.45 µm filter (0.22-0.45)
It is very important to know the size of your target organism or compound to choose the correct filter
E. coli ~ 1 ?m X 2 ?m
Coliform counts are calculated per 100 mL of water
Media: Endo broth
Membrane filter is transferred to sterile Petri dish with sterile pad saturated with Endo broth
question
Fecal bacteria
answer
Coliforms & Fecal Streptococci (including Enterococci) are used as possible indicator organisms for sewage contamination.
-Coliforms are comprised of many organisms including the fecal coliform Escherichia coli.
-E. coli is a normal intestinal colonizer of humans and other warm-bloodied animals .
-The EPA recommends Total Coliform counts for drinking water, E. coli counts for recreational fresh water & Enterococci for recreational salt water.
question
Endo Broth
answer
Selects for Gram(-) organisms
Selective Agents: Sodium Sulfite & Basic Fuchsin
Differential Agent: Lactose
Indicators: Sodium Sulfite & Basic Fuchsin
Lactose fermenters = metallic sheen OR dark pink
Nonlactose fermenters = light pink
question
Enumerating bacteria
answer
Bacterial populations can be enumerated in two ways:
(1) Direct - actual number of cells
(2) Indirect - relative amounts compared to beginning of experiment
question
Purpose of performing viable plate count
answer
To obtain actual numbers of viable cells
question
CFU stands for
answer
colony forming units
question
OCD stands for
answer
original cell density
question
Countable plate considerations
answer
30-300 CFU. Below or above this number is considered statistically unreliable
question
Serial dillutions
answer
-Systematically reduces cell density, producing at least one dilution that will yield a countable plate
-Provides a reference to link the unknown (original cell density) with the known number of colonies on the plate
-In a serial dilution, each transfer reduces the amount of original broth in the solution
-Each dilution is given a dilution factor
-The dilution factor of each new solution is compounded by the dilution factor of the previous tube
question
Original Cell Density
answer
After incubation the colony forming units (CFU) are counted -The term CFU is used since more than one cell could form one colony -Only a plate with a colony count between 30-300 CFU can be used to determine OCD -Plates below or above this range are considered statistically unreliable -OCD = CFU/FDF (combination of volume plated and dilution factor = final dilution factor) -Ex: 47 CFU growing on 10-6 plate OCD = 47/10-6 OCD = 47 x 106 = 4.7 x 107 (correct scientific notation)
question
Optimal temperature
answer
Temperature at which growth rate is maximum (optimal)
question
Temperature classifictions
answer
Psychrophiles: -10 to 20°C
Psychrotrophs: 0°C to 30°C
-Their optimum temperature falls in the mesophilic range, however, they can grow at lower temperatures at slower rates
-These are typically food spoilage organisms
Mesophiles: 10°C to 50°C
Thermophiles: 40°C to 75°C
Hyperthermophiles: >75°C
question
IMViC
answer
Series of tests used to differentiate Enterobacteriaceae
-Includes:
Indole
Methyl Red
Voges-Proskauer
Citrate
question
Indole test
answer
Media: Tryptone broth containing tryptophan
Purpose: Determine bacteria’s ability to produce indole from tryptophan
Reagent: Kovac’s Reagent (after incubation)
5 drops of reagent
(+) reaction = red ring
(-) reaction = yellow or colorless ring
question
Methyl Red test
answer
Media: MRVP broth
Bacteria are inoculated into MRVP broth, divided after incubation
Purpose: Detects organisms capable of producing stable acid end products from mixed acid fermentation of glucose
Reagent: Methyl Red Reagent
Usually combined with VP test
(+) reaction = media turns red
(-) reaction = no color change
question
Voges-Proskauer test
answer
Media: MRVP broth
Bacteria are inoculated into MRVP broth, divided after incubation
Purpose: Detects production of acetoin & 2,3-butanediol
Reagents:
?-naphthol is added FIRST (mix well)
40% potassium hydroxide added SECOND (mix well)
Usually combined with Methyl Red test
(+) reaction = red color change
(-) reaction = no color change
question
Citrate test
answer
Media: Simmon’s Citrate agar
Purpose: Determine bacteria’s ability to utilize citrate as sole carbon source
pH indicator: Bromthymol blue
Increase in pH = color change to blue
(+) reaction = blue agar
(-) reaction = green agar
Get an explanation on any task
Get unstuck with the help of our AI assistant in seconds
New