ch. 2 - concepts + tools to study microbiology Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

where can we collect microorganisms from the environment?

A
  • soil
  • water
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

where can we collect specimens in a clinical setting?

A
  • blood
  • cerebrospinal fluid
  • sputum
  • urine
  • feces
  • diseased tissue
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what are the five I’s of microbiology?

A

1) inoculation

2) incubation

3) isolation

4) inspection

5) identification

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what does it mean to inoculate?

A

to put –> onto media (food)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what are the media forms (cultures)?

A

1) solid (2 types - can and cannot be liquefied) - colonies

2) semi-solid - motility

3) liquids - always add more liquid, more bacteria

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

what are the media food nutrients (cultures)?

A

1) chemically defined - recipe for exact amounts of all chemicals

2) complex - contain “complex ingredients”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

what are the special media ingredients (cultures)?

A

1) selective - actively kill microbes
- get a single type of bacteria

2) differential - does not kill
- changes color based on microbe

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what is a culture?

A

the propagation of microorganisms with various media

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

what is a medium?

A

a nutrient used to grow microorganisms outside their natural habitat

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what does inoculation mean?

A

the implantation of microorganisms into or onto culture media

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what does chemically defined media mean?

A
  • media with compositions that are precisely chemically defined
  • contain pure organic and inorganic compounds that vary little from one source to another
  • molecular content - specified by exact formula
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what is agar?

A
  • complex polysaccharide from the alga Gellidium
  • liquifies at 100 degrees celsius (when poured - will not harm microbe or handler)
  • solidifies at 42 degrees celsius
  • flexible + moldable, can hold moisture + nutrients
  • not a digestible nutrient for microorganisms
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what is selective media?

A
  • contains one or more agents that inhibit the growth of a certain microbes but not others
  • important in primary isolation of a specific type of microorganism from samples containing dozens of species

ex.) Thayer-Martin Medium - contains four antibiotics ( vancomycin, colistin, Nystatin, and STX) and only grows Neissera

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what is differential media?

A
  • allow multiple types of microorganisms to grow —> designed to show differences
  • differentiation shows as variations in colony or media color

ex.) E. coli glows green

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what does complex media mean?

A
  • contain at least one ingredient that is not chemically definable
  • extracts of animals, plants or yeasts; blood, serum, meat extracts, or infusions
  • present a rich mixture of nutrients for microbes that have complex nutritional needs
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what does incubation mean?

A
  • means “to cook” –> media containing inoculants is placed on temperature-controlled chambers
  • usual lab temps: 20 to 40 degrees celsius, body temp: 37 degrees celsius = 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit
  • atmospheric gases: O2 + CO2 may be needed for certain microbes
  • during this, microbes grow + multiply = visible growth in the media
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

what does isolation mean?

A
  • concept –> if an individual cell is separated from other cells on a nutrient surface, it will form a colony
  • the faster it grows (shape + color) = more contagious

requires the following items: medium w/ firm surface, a petri dish, + inoculating tools

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

what is a colony?

A
  • a macroscopic cluster of cells appearing on a solid medium —> arising from the multiplication of a single cell
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

what is a pure culture?

A

one type of microorganism

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

what is a mixed culture?

A

two or more microorganisms

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

steps in a streak plate:

A

1) start w/ a primary streak (using a sterilized loop ) in a triangle shape

2) sterilize the loop + create a secondary streak

3) sterilize the loop + create a third streak

4) sterilize the loop + create a final streak in a triangular shape in the available space

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

what is inspection and identification?

A

microbes can be identified through:
- microscopic appearance

  • characterization of cellular metabolism,
  • genetic and immunologic characteristics
  • determination of products produced during growth, presence of enzymes, + mechanisms for deriving energy
18
Q

total magnification:

A

4x scanning objective x 10x = 40x

10x low power objective x 10x = 100x

40x high dry objective x 10x = 400x

100x oil immersion objective x 10x = 1000x

18
Q

what are the magnifications lenses in light microscopy?

A

objective lens - closest to the specimen, forms initial image –> called real image

ocular lens (fixed at 10x) - forms the second image called the virtual image –> will be received by the eye and converted to the retinal and visual image

19
Q

what is an oil immersion lens?

A
  • uses oil to capture light that would otherwise be lost to scatter
  • reducing scatter increases resolution
20
Q

what are the several different types of microscopy?

A
  • bright-field microscope
  • dark-field microscope
  • phase contrast microscopy
  • differential-interference contrast (3-D)
  • confocal microscope
  • electron microscope
21
Q

what are the two types of electron microscopy?

A
  • scanning electron microscopy
  • transmission electron microscopy
22
Q

what is a bright-field microscope (special feature)?

A

visible light illuminates object

23
Q

what is a dark-field microscope (special feature)?

A

special condenser scatters light

24
Q

what is a phase-contrast microscope (special feature)?

A

special condenser throws light rays “out of phase”

25
Q

what is a fluorescent microscope (special feature)?

A

UV light illuminates fluorescent-coated objects

26
Q

what is a electron transmission microscope (special feature)?

A

short-wavelength electron beam penetrates sections

27
Q

what is a electron scanning microscope (special feature)?

A

short-wavelength electron beam knocks loose electron showers

28
Q

what is the natural color of bacteria?

A

clear - we dye them

29
Q

how do we do preparations for fresh living microorganisms?

A
  • place on wet mounts or in hanging drop mounts to observe —> closest to nature state
  • the cells are suspended in water, broth, or saline to maintain viability + provide space for locomotion
  • these are short-term mounts –> provide true assessment of size, shape, color, arrangement, + motility
30
Q

what is a wet mount?

A
  • consists of a drop or two of culture placed on a slide + overlaid with a cover slip
31
Q

what is a hanging drop mount?

A
  • a drop of culture is placed in a concave (depression) slide
  • vaseline adhesive or sealant + then a cover slip is placed on top then suspend the sample
32
Q

what is a fixed, stained smear?

A
  • more permanent mounts used for long-term study
33
Q

process for smear technique:

A
  • developed by Robert Koch

1) spread a thin film made from a liquid suspension of cells on a slide

2) air dry

3) heat fix: heat gently to kill the specimen and attach to the slide

34
Q

what is staining?

A
  • unstained cells in a fixed smear are difficult to see
  • staining is any procedure that applies colored chemicals (dyes) to specimens
  • acidic dyes are repelled by cells
35
Q

what charge do basic dyes have?

A

basic = positive charge (+)

36
Q

what charge do acidic dyes have?

A

acidic = negative charge (-)

37
Q

what is a positive stain?

A

dye sticks to the specimen + gives it color

38
Q

what is a negative stain?

A
  • dye does not stick to the specimen but settles some distance from its outer boundary = forming a silhouette
  • negatively charges cells repel the negatively charged dye + remains unstained
  • smear is not heat fixed = reduced distortion + shrinkage of cells
  • also used to accentuate a capsule

dyes used–> nigrosin + india ink

39
Q

what is a gram stain?

A
  • most important stain in all of microbiology
  • why it matters: bc most antibodies in use today target either lipids or proteins on cell wall

steps:
1) heat fix
2) add crystal violet - wash off after 1 min
3) add iodine (seals dye) - wash off after 1 min
4) add alcohol (slant + add in drops) - wash BEFORE 10 sec
5) add safranin - wash after 20-30 sec

40
Q

what is a gram positive (+) stain?

A
  • retained crystal violet color after alcohol (purple color)
  • low in lipids
  • high in proteins -> purple
41
Q

what is a gram negative (-) stain?

A
  • lost color after alcohol (pink color)
  • high in lipids - purple
  • low in proteins
42
Q

what are simple stains?

A
  • only require a single dye + uncomplicated procedure
  • cause all the cells in the smear to appear more or less the same color, regardless of type
  • reveals shape, size, + arrangement
43
Q

what is a differential stain?

A
  • use two differently colored dyes: the primary dye and the counterstain
  • distinguish cell types or parts
  • more complex + require additional chemical reagents to produce the desired reaction
44
Q

history of gram stain:

A
  • developed in 1884 - Hans Christian Gram
  • crystal violet (primary stain, iodine (the mordant), alcohol rinse (decolorizer), + safranin (the counterstain)
  • different results –> due to differences in the cell wall structure + how it reacts to the series of reagents applied
  • remains the universal basis for bacterial classification + identification
  • practical aid diagnosing + guiding drug treatment
45
Q

what is a acid-fast stain (type of differential stain)?

A
  • differentiates acid-fast bacteria (pink) from non-acid-fast bacteria (blue)
  • originated as a method to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis (wax cell wall)
  • the cell walls have a particularly impervious cell wall that holds fast (tightly) to the dye (carbol fuschin) when washed with an acid decolorizer
  • also used for other medically important bacteria, fungi, protozoa
46
Q

what is an endospore stain (type of differential stain)?

A
  • similar to acid fast stain –> dye is forced by heat into resistant bodies called spores or endospores
  • stain distinguishes between spores + vegetative cells
  • significant in identifying gram-positive, spore-forming members of the genus Bacillus and Clostridium
47
Q

what is a capsule stain (special stain)?

A
  • used to observe the microbial capsule

capsule = unstructured protective layer surrounding the cells of some bacteria + fungi

  • negatively stained w/ India ink
48
Q

what is a flagellar stain (special stain)?

A
  • used to reveal tiny, slender filaments used by bacteria for locomotion
  • flagella are enlarged by deposited a coating on the outside of the filament and then staining it