Microbiology Unknown Lab Report

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INTRODUCTION There are multiple reasons why knowing how to identify different microorganisms is useful. “Microorganisms are essential to our very existence. They are ubiquitous, found in common environments such as soil, water, and air” (4). Knowing the difference between different microorganisms can not only help identify a disease, but also what’s causing a disease in a patient, and what antibiotic can help treat that disease. Microorganisms are also in all foods, and knowing the different microorganisms can help identify when food is past its prime. To identify an unknown bacteria the study was done by applying all of the methods that have been used so far during the microbiology laboratory class. MATERIALS AND METHODS An unknown test tube labeled number 105 was given to the student by the professor. The test tube contained a mixed culture of two unknown bacteria, one a gram positive and one a gram negative. Methods which have been used throughout the semester to identify specific bacteria were applied to the unknown. The methods and procedures were followed as the laboratory manual for microbiology stated, unless stated otherwise. On day one, the first objective was to complete an isolation streak of the mixed culture onto nutrient agar. The goal of this test was to correctly isolate the two different bacteria. The nutrient agar was incubated at 37 degrees Celsius for 48 hours. Upon observation on day two the nutrient agar plate appeared to be tinted a light green color, which is comparable to the pigment of the agar completed in exercise #10 on the lab manual, which led to the belief that the gram negative bacteria was Pseudomonas aeruginosa. To confirm these beliefs, a new isolation streak of organism A’s pure colony was created. On day three a gram stain of the pure colony was completed following the steps for gram stain on page 67 of the lab
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