preview

Bacterial Unknown Lab Report

Decent Essays

There are many differents ways to identify a bacterial unknown and many different situations where identification would be beneficial. One way to identify bacterial unknowns is to perform biochemical tests. In this experiment multiple biochemical tests were done, by performing these tests on the bacterial unknown received the two different bacteria were then identified. The citrate test is done to test the ability of organisms to use citrate as a carbon source. This test uses Simmons citrate agar, the agar contains sodium citrate as the only carbon source and has bromothymol blue as the pH indicator. The organisms that use citrate as a carbon source use the enzyme to transport the citrate into the cell. The cells converts ammonium dihydrogen …show more content…

One of these reasons is in regards to pathogens. If a bacterium is pathogenic, it is important to know the identity of the bacteria so that its characteristics can be examined and used in the treatment of the infected host. For example, if the identification of an unknown pathogen leads to the knowledge that the pathogen contains a beta-lactam ring in its cell wall, a drug targeting this cellular component can be used in the treatment of this pathogen. If this information was unknown and the pathogen did not contain a beta-lactam, the drug would not help the infected host. Another reason it is beneficial to identify unknown bacteria is for clinical uses. Many pharmaceutical drugs are based upon or isolated from products made by bacteria. Penicillin is an obvious example of a beneficial drug that was isolated from a mold. By identifying new bacteria and discovering the unique properties of a new or under researched species, beneficial medical products may be able to be derived or produced as a result. A third important reason to identify bacterial unknowns can tie into the safety and conservation of the environment. Because of the varying properties and abilities of bacteria, it is beneficial to identify bacteria that may be able to help clean up human impact. For example, Alcanivorax borkumensis, is a bacterium that has been discovered to aid in the cleanup of spilled petroleum. Other bacteria have been discovered to aid in eating pollution and other toxins in water. The identification of important bacteria such as these can lead to increased efforts in environmental conservation that use a more organic clean up approach.

Get Access