Bacterial Morphology Flashcards
Pappenheim Stain example
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis - red
- Mycobacterium lacticola -blue
Colony Size:
Description: About the same size of a pinhead
Small
Sodoku is a _________ infection.
rat bite
Margin:
Description: Branched edge
Fringed or Filamentous
Colony Odor: Mousy or Mouse nest
Bacteria:
Haemophilus spp.
Colonial Characteristics According to Hemolytic Pattern
- Beta Hemolysis
- Alpha Hemolysis
- Gamma Hemolysis
- Alpha Prime Hemolysis
Colony Height: Convex
Description:
Dome shaped
Fontana-Tribondeau spirochetes stain color
Dark Brown or Black
Colony Height: Flat
Description:
No visible elevation or height
It is the causative agent of diphteria.
Corynebacterium diphtheriae
An example of coccus in sarcina/e is ___________.
Micrococcus luteus
Colony Size:
Description: Slightly larger than a pinhead
Medium
It differentiates gram positive bacteria from gram negative bacteria.
Gram Staining
Margin:
Description: Circular without interruptions
Smooth or Entire
Colony Texture:
Description: Cauliflower appearance
Rough and Warty
Colony Texture: Creamy butyrous
Description:
Butterlike
The background of the bacteria in indirect staining is _________.
Stained
Colony Density:
Description: Light shines through the colony
Transparent
An anaerobic bacteria which is found as a normal flora in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT).
Fusobacterium spp.
A bacteria that has a parallel shape is called ________.
Palisading
According to Bailey and Scott, most bacteria has a size which ranges from ________ in length.
1 - 3 um
How many hours is the standard incubation?
18-24
Under K antigen, we have __________.
- Vi Antigen
- K1 Antigen
It is the causative agent of tuberculosis.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
India Ink or Nigrosin stain color
Black
Colony Texture: Brittle or Splinters
Description:
Crumbling Colony
WAYSON bipolar bodies stain color
Red
Colonial Characteristics According to Texture/Appearance
- Brittle or Splinters
- Creamy Butyrous
- Dry and Waxy
- Rough and Warty
- Mucoid
What is the purpose of Indirect Staining?
To identify medically important capsulated bacteria as well as strains of Cryptococcus spp.
Wirtz-Conklin spores stain color
Green
A helical or twisted bacteria.
Spiral
Stains for Bacterial Spores or Endospres
- Fulton-Schaeffer
- Dorner
- Wirtz-Conklin
It is when bacilli appears in various sizes, forms, and arrangement.
Pleomorphism
A type of staining which actually provides coloration to the background of the smear while rendering the bacteria and covering structure unstained.
Indirect/Negative/Relief Stain
The height of the colony is called ________.
Elevation
It is the causative agent of SODOKU.
Spirillum minor/minus
A club-shaped or barb-shaped arranged in palisade, fence stick, or cigarette packet. It also resembles X,Y,Z or Chinese characters.
Irregular bacilli
Margin: Rough or Rhizoid
Description:
Crenated edge
A cocci divided by two or more planes of division in an irregular pattern is called ________.
Cocci in Clusters (Staphylococci)
It contains two or more chromogens which further differentiates specific component within the bacterial cell.
Differential Stain
Colony Density:
Description: Light won’t shine through the colony
Opaque
Margin:
Description: Lobulated edge
Lobate
Fulton-Schaeffer spores stain color
Green
Colony Odor: Corn tortilla/Fruity
Bacteria:
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Which bacteria exhibits a gamma hemolytic pattern?
Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterococcus faecalis
Hemolysis Type: Alpha Prime
Description:
Inner alpha hemolysis surrounded by an outer beta hemolysis
It is the causative agent of soft chancre or chancroid.
Haemophilus ducreyi
Colony Height:
Description: Raised or Bulging center
Umbonate (outie)
Colony Texture:
Description: Wet and Sticky
Mucoid
Stains for Chlamydia
- Gimenez
- Macchiavello
- Giemsa
Neisseria spp. is a kidney or coffee bean shape diplococci except _______.
Neisseria weaveri and Neisseria elongata
These are examples of a bacteria that is S or C shaped bacilli which sometimes resemble a seagull wing.
- Campylobacter spp.
- Helicobacter spp.
- Arcobacter spp.
The appearance of the edge of the colony is called __________.
Margin
Stain for Capsule
- HISS
- TYLER
- MUIR
- GIN
- WADSWORTH
- WELCH
Two cocci adjacent to one another is called ________.
Diplococci
What are the other stains for Acid Fast organisms?
- Pappenheim Stain
- Baumgarten Stain
__________ are helical, but rigid.
Spirillum spp.
What are the 3 stains used in indirect staining?
- India Ink or Nigrosin
- Congo Red
- Anthony
WELCH capsule stain color
Pale Violet
What do you call a bacillus in chains?
Streptobacillus/Streptobacilli
Hemolysis Type: Alpha
Description:
Greenish or brownish zone around the colony; incomplete/partial hemolysis
Colonial Characteristics According to Margin
- Smooth or Entire
- Undulate
- Rough or Rhizoid
- Lobate
- Fringed or Filamentous
- Fingerlike
- Irregular
Colony Height:
Description: Depressed or Concave center
Umbilicate (innie)
Stains for Rickettsia
- Castaneda
- Macchiavello
- Giemsa
An example of cocci in clusters are ___________.
Staphylococcus spp.
_________ has a mucoid texture.
Streptococcus pneumoniae
It is the causative agent of leptospirosis.
Leptospira interrogans
Lindegren granule stain color
Reddish-Brown
The resulting arrangement of cocci depends on the ___________.
Plane of Division
What are the 4 Categories of Staining?
- Direct/Simple Stain
- Differential Stain
- Selective/Special Stain
- Indirect/Negative/Relief Stain
An example of a bacteria that is large, square cut-ends, spore forming bacillus in chains is ___________.
Bacillus anthracis
All diplococci are adjacent to each other except the:
Neisseria spp.
_________ has a rough and warty texture.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Albert granule stain color
Blue-black
Macchiavello (chlamydia) stain color
Red
According to Bailey and Scott, most bacteria has a size which ranges from ________ in width.
0.25 - 1 um
Colony Color: Lime Yellow
Bacteria:
Micrococcus luteus
This staining procedure separates almost all medically relevant bacteria into two general types.
Gram Staining
Ljubinsky granule stain color
Dark Violet
Margin: Fringed or Filamentous
Description:
Branchlike edge
These are coccus in packets of four.
Tetrads
An example of cocci in chains are __________.
Streptococcus spp.
Levaditi Silver Impregnation spirochetes stain color
Black
Burke’s Technique
A modified gram staining technique
Giemsa (chlamydia) stain color
Purple
Hemolysis Type: Beta
Description:
Clear zone around the colony; complete hemolysis
Castaneda stain color
Blue
An example of a bacterium that is a spiral with two or more curves, and quite rigid is the __________.
Spirillum minor/minus
What is the ideal source of blood for agar?
5% sheep’s blood
Hemolysis Type:
Description: Inner alpha hemolysis surrounded by outer beta hemolysis.
Alpha Prime
It is the largest bacterium known, which was found in ocean sediments.
Thiomargarita namibiensis
Margin: Smooth or Entire
Description:
Circular without interruptions
Colony Texture: Rough and Warty
Description:
Cauliflower appearance
Stain for Bipolar Bodies (Yersinia pestis)
WAYSON
The optical property to pass light through the bacterial colony.
Density
A cocci divided by three planes of division is called ________.
Sarcina/e
Giemsa (rickettsia) stain color
Blue
Congo Red stain color
Red
_________ has a creamy butyrous texture.
Staphylococcus spp.
An antigen associated with the capsule.
K
It uses fluorochrome dyes such as Auramine or Rhodamine which remains in the cell wall even after decolorization.
Fluorochrome Staining
An example of a bacteria that is slim, slender, threadlike bacillus, sometimes arranged in serpentine cord pattern in smear.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Colony Odor: Unwashed Stockings
Bacteria:
Staphylococcus spp.
Colony Size:
Description: Usually 6-8 mm in diameter
Large
Colony Texture:
Description: Crumbling colony
Brittle or Splinters
An example of a bacteria that is a loosely twisted spiral that resembles a stretched spiral is _________.
Borrelia spp.
Margin: Fingerlike
Description:
Uneven rounded projections
Which bacteria exhibits a beta hemolytic pattern?
Staphylococcus aureus
An example of coccus in tetrads is _________.
Micrococcus tetragena
According to Mahon, most bacteria has a size which ranges from ________.
0.4 - 2 um
Colony Color: Red
Bacteria:
Serratia marcescens
It is an important concept in flagellar stain which coats, swells, and precipitates the flagella enhancing its visualization.
Tannic Acid
Stains for Flagella
- Leifson
- Gray
- Silver
- Fisher-Conn
Colony Odor: Freshly plowed field
Bacteria:
Nocardia spp.
Colony Color: Blue Green
Bacteria:
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Colony Height: Raised
Description:
Slight elevation
TYLER capsule stain color
Light Violet
It specifically highlight or emphasize certain bacterial cell structures or components.
Selective or Special Stain
Enumerate the Workflow in Bacterial identification
- Specimen Collection
- Direct Microscopic Examination
- Culture
- Bacterial Identification
- Biochemical Test
- AST
HISS capsule stain color
Pale Brown
Margin: Lobate
Description:
Lobulated edge
A cocci divided by one plane of division is called ________.
Diplococci or Diplococcus
Hemolysis Type: Gamma
Description:
No hemolysis around the colony
India Ink Negative Stain spirochetes stain color
Spirochetes unstained, background is black
Colony Size: Pinpoint
Description:
Colonies less than 1 mm
It usually contains one specific active chromogen in the stain.
Direct or Simple Stain
Colony Odor: Rancid Potato
Bacteria:
Serratia odorifera
Colony Size: Small
Description:
About the same size of a pinhead
It is the causative agent of anthrax.
Bacillus anthracis
An antigen that is found in Escherichia coli.
K1 Antigen
It is the causative agent of relapsing fever and lyme disease.
Borrelia spp.
Colony Odor: Ammonia like
Bacteria:
Acinetobacter spp.
What do you call a bacillus that are small, short, stout/plump?
Coccobacillus
Dienes mycoplasma stain color
Blue
Margin:
Description: Crenated edge
Rough or Rhizoid
Margin:
Description: Wavy edge
Undulate
Margin:
Description: Uneven rounded projections
Fingerlike
These are coccus in cubical packets of eight.
Sarcina/e
An example of a diplococcus is __________.
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Colony Size: Large
Description:
Usually 6-8 mm in diameter
_________ has a dry and waxy texture.
Diphtheroid
Hemolysis Type:
Description: No hemolysis around the colony
Gamma
Colony Size:
Description: Colonies less than 1 mm
Pinpoint
Loeffler’s Alkaline Methylene Blue (LAMP) granule stain color
Red
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a _________ diplococci.
flame or lancet shaped
Colony Color: Violet
Bacteria:
Chromobacterium violaceum
What is the size of the largest bacterium known?
0.1 - 0.3 mm
Colony Texture:
Description: Sticky
Dry and Waxy
Hemolysis Type:
Description: Greenish or brownish zone around the colony; incomplete/partial hemolysis
Alpha
What is the purpose of Differential Staining?
To differentiate and group the bacteria
A cocci divided by two planes of division is called ________.
Tetrads
It is a kidney or coffee bean shaped diplococci.
Neisseria spp.
Colony Height: Umbonate (outie)
Description:
Raised or Bulging center
It differentiates acid-fast organisms from non acid-fast organisms.
Acid Fast Staining
An example of a bacteria that is a tightly twisted spiral resembling a cork screw is _____________.
Treponema pallidum
Dorner spores stain color
Red
An example of a curved or comma shaped bacilli is __________.
Vibrio spp.
__________ are helical, but more flexible.
Spirochetes
An example of a bacterium that is a tightly twisted spiral with one or both ends bent into a hook, resembling a question mark is __________.
Leptospira interrogans
Colony Height: Umbilicate (innie)
Description:
Depressed or Concaved center
Colony Height:
Description: Dome shaped
Convex
What do you call a bacillus in pair?
Diplobacillus/Diplobacilli
Stain for Mycoplasma
Dienes
In differential staining technique, it includes a ________ step which is the most critical step.
Decolorization
It is the causative agent of venereal syphilis.
Treponema pallidum
What is the purpose of Simple Staining?
To enhance the appreciation of bacterial morphology.
Hemolysis Type:
Description: Clear zone around the colony; complete hemolysis
Beta
An example of a bacteria that is large, rounded-ends, non-spore forming bacillus arranged in chains is ____________.
Fusobacterium spp.
Baumgarten stain uses ___________ as a decolorizer.
Rosolic Acid
An antigen associated with the flagella.
H
An example of a bacteria that is small and short bacillus arranged in school of fish, railroad track, and fingerprint pattern in a smear is ___________.
Haemophilus ducreyi
An example of an irregular bacilli is _________.
Corynebacterium diphtheriae
A cocci divided continuously by one plane of division is called ________.
Cocci in Chains (Streptococci)
Colony Size: Medium
Description:
Slightly larger than a pinhead
Baumgarten Stain example
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis: blue
- Mycobacterium leprae: red
WADSWORTH capsule stain color
Capsule is pink, bacteria is blue
Stains for Spirochetes
- Fontana-Tribondeau
- Levaditi Silver Impregnation
- India Ink Negative Stain
Give examples of branching or filamentous bacilli
- Nocardia spp.
- Actinomyces spp.
- Actinomycetes spp.
The commonly used simple stains are __________.
- Crystal Violet
- Gentian Violet
- Methylene Blue
- Malachite Green
The bacteria and structure of the bacteria in indirect staining is __________.
Unstained
It is the process of examining the colonial characteristics of the bacterial colonies that grew in each culture media.
Plate Reading
Colony Texture: Mucoid
Description:
Wet and sticky
Stain for Cell Wall
Victoria Blue Dye
Margin: Undulate
Description:
Wavy edge
A bacteria with pointed end is called _________.
Fusiform
Gimenez stain color
Red
What are the sources of blood in an agar?
- 5% sheep’s blood
- Horse blood
- Human blood
Macchiavello (rickettsia) stain color
Red
Which bacteria exhibits an alpha hemolytic pattern?
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Colonial Characteristics According to Elevation
- Flat
- Raised
- Convex
- Umbilicate (innie)
- Umbonate (outie)
An antigen associated with the cell wall.
O
What is the purpose of a Special Stain?
For the presumptive identification of the bacteria
_________ has a brittle or splinter appearance.
Nocardia spp.
Colony Texture: Dry and Waxy
Description:
Sticky
Colonial Characteristics According to Size
- Pinpoint
- Small
- Medium
- Large
Colony Texture:
Description: Butterlike
Creamy butyrous
An ovoid-shaped bacteria is called _________.
Coccobacilli
A cylindrical, rod-shaped, and elongated bacteria is called _________.
Bacilli
Victoria Blue Dye stains the cell wall ________.
Blue
MUIR capsule stain color
Light Blue
Colony Density:
Description: Light will shine through the colony
Translucent
Stains for Metachromatic Granules/Babes Ernst Bodies/Volutin
- Loeffler’s Alkaline Methylene Blue (LAMB)
- Albert
- Neisser
- Lindegren
- Burke’s Technique
- Ljubinsky
A circular or spherical-shaped bacteria is called _________.
Cocci
Colony Color: Golden Yellow
Bacteria:
Staphylococcus aureus
In specimen collection, where do we get our source?
from the site of infection
Margin:
Description: Uneven length of projection with no definite shape
Irregular
It is the bacteria’s ability to lyse RBCs in the culture media.
Hemolytic Pattern
Neisser granule stain color
Dark Blue
Anthony stain color
Purple
It imparts an artificial coloration not only to the bacteria but for other components as well, for us to visualize them better using the microscope.
Staining
Margin: Irregular
Description:
Uneven length of projections with no definite shape
GIN capsule stain color
Capsule is unstained, but the bacteria will be stained with its margins delineated by ink.
Colony Height:
Description: No visible elevation or height
Flat
Colony Height:
Description: Slight elevation
Raised
It is associated with the specific capsular antigen of Salmonella enterica serovar typhi.
Vi Antigen
Gram Negative Diplococci
Neisseria spp.
Gram Positive Diplococci
Streptococcus pneumoniae
