Mannitol Salt Agar Lab Report

An unknown bacterium was handed out by Dr. Honer. The appropriate tests were prepared and applied. The first procedure that was done was the gram stain. Under a microscope, if the gram stain is purple, the bacterium is gram positive, if the stain is red, it is gram negative. The next test was the fermentation tests for glucose, sucrose and

Negative result is no color change with mineral oil on top of solution. This bacterium has +/- reaction on MAC plate. It could survive in an acidic environment, but it not able to ferment lactose. The bacteria grow on the plate, but did not change the color of the plate to bright pink. This bacterium has a +/- result on Bile Esculin Agar.

To perform this test, a tube of broth rich with glucose is acquired. In this tube is phenol red, a pH indicator. Initially, the tube appeared pink in color, indicating a normal pH level. Next, a sample of unknown #44 is introduced into this medium using the aseptic technique, and this is allowed to sit for several days. If the organism is able to ferment glucose, the pH in the medium would decrease and cause the phenol red to exhibit a yellow color. In addition to the straw color, gas can also be produced and trapped inside the Durham tube placed in the medium. This production of acid and gas is a direct result of the fermentation of glucose, as seen with unknown

The enzyme urease breaks urea down into NH3 and CO2. An orange broth containing urea is used for this test and needs to be inoculated with the gram negative bacteria. A pink color in the medium indicates a urease-positive organism, an orange or yellow is negative.

For the Urease test, I incoluated my Urea test tube with my unkown bacteria from a TSA plate using and inoculating loop. The Urea tube was then incubated at 37 degrees Celsius for 8 days to observe for a color change. The Urea tests for the ability of a bacteria grown in urea broth produces urease. This medium contains the pH indicator phenol red. If urease is produced the pH of the media will raise thus causing the phenol red to change from yellow to a pink color.

I identified Citrobacter freundii, the gram negative rod, by running a series of tests. I began with the Phenol Red Lactose tests, which tests if the organism contains various enzymes that determine if it can ferment lactose. The broth turned yellow after it was incubated, indicating that the lactose was fermented to acid, and there was also gas present in the Durham tube. Since the Phenol Red Lactose Test was positive, I then ran the Phenol Red Sucrose test, which tests if the bacteria contain different enzymes that determine if sucrose can be fermented. After incubation, the broth was yellow, indicating that sugar was fermented to acid, and there was also gas present in the Durham tube. Next, I ran the Sulfide Production, Indole Formation, Motility test, but I was only testing for Hydrogen Sulfide Production to differentiate between the organisms Citrobacter freundii and Enterobacter aerogenes. This test detects if the organisms can metabolize sulfur into hydrogen sulfide, which is revealed by the formation of ferrous sulfide that causes blackening around the growth. The test also reveals if the organism can break tryptophan into indole or migrate away from initial stab area. After incubation, the agar slant was completely black, indicating that the organism produces hydrogen sulfide and is motile proving that it was Citrobacter

4) A MSA plate test was run on a sample of the organism and the results were consistent with the given results for M. Luteus. The results showed a fair amount of growth on the plate, and the color of the agar around the growth remained red. The MSA test is selective in that the salt will inhibit most gram negative organisms and select for gram positives. If there is growth and the color of the agar turns yellow around the growth, this would mean that mannitol was fermented by the organism and the acid waste released by the bacterium lowered the pH around the growth. Since there was growth and no color change, the sample is said to be gram positive and unable to ferment mannitol (negative for differential). This result was also consistent with the given test results for M. Luteus.

The first result of importance was the result of the Gram stain. The observations of the unknown bacteria from the slant culture after Gram staining showed that the unknown bacteria were Gram negative bacilli (Image 1). After determining the unknown bacteria was Gram negative, an oxidase test was conducted on a sample from the slant culture. The cotton swap with the sample of bacteria did not change color when the oxidase reagent was applied, thus providing a negative result. With a negative oxidase test, further tests were conducted to determine various characteristics of the unknown bacteria. A MR-VP broth was inoculated with a sample from a slant culture of unknown bacteria. After incubation, the methyl red reagent was added to the broth, and the broth turned red, providing a positive result (Image 2). An EMB agar streak plate was inoculated with a sample from a slant culture of the unknown bacteria, and after incubation, growth was found on the plate, providing a positive result (Image 3). A Citrate agar slant was inoculated, and after incubation, growth was found on the media, providing a positive result (Image 4). A Urea agar slant was inoculated, and after incubation, the agar had changed from a peach color to a bright pink color, providing a positive result (Image 5). Using the flowchart (Figure 1) developed from the Table of Expected Results, the lab partners started at the oxidase test. Given the negative result of the oxidase test, the flowchart is

There are many reasons for knowing the identity of microorganisms. The reasons range from knowing the causative agent of a disease in a patient, so as to know how it can be treated, to knowing the correct microorganism to be used for making certain foods or antibiotics. This study was done by applying all of the methods that I have been learned so far in the microbiology laboratory class for the identification of an unknown bacterium.

In part II of the lab six small glass tubes were obtained in a test tube rack. Ten drops of distilled water were then added to test tube 1, five drops to tubes 2-4, and no drops in tubes 5 and 6. Five drops of 0.1M HCl were added to test tube 5 and five drops of 0.1M NaOH to test tube 6. Five drops of enzyme were then added to all tubes except tube 1. Tube 3 was then placed in the ice bucket and tube 4 was placed in the hot bucket at 80-900C for five minutes, the remaining tubes were left in the test tube rack. After the five minutes five drops of 1% starch was added to every tube and left to sit for ten minutes. After ten minutes five drops of DNSA were then added to all the tubes. All the tubes were then taken and placed in the

Research Question: How does the size of the cell affect its efficiency in exchanging substances through several ways, like diffusion?

The Methyl Red test is a differential test for bacterial respiration used to differentiate strains of coliform bacteria capable of performing mixed acid fermentation that will lower the pH despite the phosphate buffer (http://faculty.deanza.fhda.edu). Mixed acid fermentation is confirmed by using methyl red as an indicator. It is red ant pH 4.4 and below, yellow at pH 6.2 and above, and orange in between. Red is a positive result reported as (+), yellow is a negative result reported as (-), and orange is negative or inconclusive.

This laboratory experiment’s objective was to take a pure culture and isolate it from a mixed culture. The other part of the objective was to ascertain what species of bacteria that the pure culture was. The hypothesis made stated that so long as lab protocol was followed, the unidentified culture would be positively recognized/identified. An isolated pure colony of the unknown culture was obtained using the quadrant streak plate method. Afterward, the culture was Gram stained, and the results showed that it was Gram positive. Motility tests were done on the unknown using a filter paper bridge on a petri dish that contained TTC with agar. The unknown was revealed to not be motile, which meant that it did not possess flagella. The last test done was to learn the metabolic capabilities of the unknown bacteria. There were tests done for citrate utilization, the mixed fermentation pathway, catalase presence, carbohydrate fermentation in mannitol, lactose and glucose, urease production and the butanediol fermentation pathway in order to better identify the unknown bacteria. The results from each of the metabolic tests in conjunction with the motility and Gram staining tests were ultimately compared to results from database containing many different kinds of results from various bacteria. The unknown from the mixed culture was identified as Staphylococcus

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Introduction: Through the conduction of numerous experiments, the identity of two bacterial isolates was determined. The tested specimen was an unknown sample of a mixed culture of two different species of bacteria. The first step that was taken was obtaining a pure culture of each species of bacteria by isolating one species from the other. Once isolation was complete, the isolated cultures were tested using procedures that had been performed during previous lab sessions. A gram stain was performed on the two isolates. The isolate which had tested gram negative was then tested for the presence of cytochrome C and lactose fermentation. For the gram positive isolate, cell shape was determined and a catalase test was performed.