Unknown Lab Report Essay

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Lab Report: “The Unknown” NAME: Donnise Warren PURPOSE: The purpose of this lab report is for students to be able to identify an unknown bacterium given to us by doing a variety of lab procedures and biochemical lab test to help identify what specific bacteria we have. INTRODUCTION: There are many reasons for knowing the identify of microorganisms. Such as knowing the causative agent of a disease that a patient may acquire, so that you would know how it could be treated, to knowing which microorganisms could be used for making antibiotics or even food. This lab report was done by implementing methods that have been learned throughout this semester in our microbiology lab course which helped identify my unknown bacterium #115. 6/28/2012 The 1st lab procedure performed was the gram stain. Previously, before starting the gram stain I prepared a bacterial smear on a glass slide and used the heat fixing method which was done to help the bacteria cells adhere to the glass, kill them, and also helps make the cells easier to stain by coagulating the cells proteins. The gram stain test helped me identify rather my bacterium would be a negative or positive and determined the microscopic morphology (shape, and arrangement) of my bacterium as well. The test…show more content…
By looking at the spread sheet it conveyed that all 3 bacterials were negative for the oxidase test. So, I assumed that if the oxidase test performed came back negative as well, this would verify that I chose wisely. The oxidase test would also detect if the bacteria produced cytochrome oxidase, it is also used to segregate between aerobic gram-negative organisms. The last experiment set up on this day was the fluid thioglycollate medium (FTM) so that I could verify if my unknown bacteria was a aerobic or anaerobic

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