Chapter 1, Problem 2CCS

Ramona is a young mom who takes care of her two children during the day and takes pre-nursing classes at night. Juggling the needs of her family and her studies means a hectic schedule, late nights, very little sleep, and eating on the run. Ramona particularly loves spicy food, and she eats a lot of it. She adds hot sauce to nearly every meal, which tends to be Mexican fast food. She also likes to drink wine with dinner on the weekends, and sneaks an occasional cigarette when her children aren’t watching.

One night, Ramona notices a burning pain in her upper abdomen. It disappears after a few minutes but then comes back a couple of nights later. Pretty soon, she is feeling the pain every night—sometimes accompanied by nausea. She mentions her symptoms to her best friend, who suggests that she might have an ulcer. Her friend knows about Ramona's love of spicy food and advises her to cut back on the hot sauce to see if that improves her symptoms. Ramona takes the advice, but the pain and nausea continue. A physician finds the pictured bacteria in her stomach. The cells lack nuclei.

1. 1. How would Koch have determined if ulcers are caused by a microbe?
2. 2. How can Ramona tell if these cells are prokaryotes, fungi, algae, or protozoa?
3. 3. The cells have been stained with the procedure developed by Gram. How would you describe them to Ramona, as Gram positive or Gram negative?