exam 1 information Flashcards
what factors is resolving power based off of
- wavelength of light
- numerical aperture of the lens
what microscope do we use in class
compound light-field
- resolution limit is 0.2 micrometers
how to determine total magnification
(magnification of objective lens) x (magnification of ocular lens)
resolving power
how well it allows two objects to be seen as distinct and separate
resolution of oil lens
typically better because refractive index is very close to glass
why can’t some lenses be used with oil
- degrades portions of the lens
- must wipe and clean off immediately
electron microscopy
smaller wavelength than light, much better resolution power
- uses electrons and measures that wavelength rather than light, uses magnets
bacterial morphology
cocci: diplococci, cocci clusters, cocci chains
bacilli: flagellate rods, bacilli chains, spore formers
spiral: spirochaetes, spirilla, vibrios
- use this when writing observations in lab
how are petri dishes always incubated
in an inverted position– this prevents condensation that forms on the cover during solidification
aseptic technique
practices and procedures to prevent contamination from pathogens and minimize the risk of infection
- includes: handwashing. sterilization, keeping flasks and plates closed
when is loop used over needle
in a broth, slant, and plate
- needle is only used in agar deep
what to label nutrient broth tube with
organism, name, section number, date
inoculation
adding a microbe to the tube
agar slant
stick loop down to the bottom of the slanted portion
- use zig-zag motion and drag loop toward top of tube
starting with a mixed culture, isolation of different species may be obtained by…
streaking
stain (dye)
an organic compound containing a benzene ring plus a chromophore and auxochrome group
acidic stain
sodium, potassium, calcium, or ammonium salts of colored acids ionize to give a negatively charged chromogen
basic stain
the chloride or sulfate salts of colored bases ionize to give a positively charged chromogen
difference between gram-positive and gram-negative
gram pos:
- thick peptidoglycan layer
gram neg:
- peptidoglycan layer is much thinner, surrounded by outer lipid-containing layers
lysozyme or penicillin
has the ability to denude the Gram-positive cell wall
differential stain
different microbes will give different results when stained by the same procedure
- e.g. gram stain
acid-fast stain (Ziehl-Neelson method)
differential stain used to detect bacteria from the genus Mycobacterium
uses three different reagents:
1. primary: carbolfuchsin
- a red phenolic stain that is soluble in the lipoidal materials that constitute the major portion of the mycobacterial cell wall, can penetrate mycobacterial wall, STRONG STAINN
- further enhanced using heat
- makes all cells appear red
- decolorizing agent: acid-alcohol (3% HCl + 95% ethanol)
- prior to decolorizing, the smear is cooled (allows waxy cell substance to harden)
- primary stain is more easily removed from non-acid fast cells during decolorization, leaving these cells colorless or unstained - counterstain: methylene blue
- this is used as the final reagent to stain previously decolorized cells
- only non-acid-fast cells undergo decolorization, may now absorb the counterstain and take on its blue color,
- acid-fast cells retain red color of the primary stain
mycolic acid
waxy polymer that makes the cell envelope of Mycobacteria significantly less permeable compared to other groups of bacteria
- makes Mycobacteria resistant to staining, helps with differentiation
spore stain (Schaeffer-Fulton method)
a differential stain used to detect bacterial endospores formed by the members of the genus Bacillus and Clostridium
- primary stain: malachite green
- spore does not accept primary stain easily– requires heat
- after the primary stain is applied and the smear is heated, both the vegetative cell and spore will appear green - decolorizing agent: water
- when the spore is green, it cannot be decolorized by tap water
- the water will remove coloring from vegetative cell components (because of a low affinity) –> return colorless - counterstain: safranin
- colors the decolorized vegetative cells –> turns them red
- spores retain green color of the primary stain
Bacillus and Clostridium
bacteria of these genus are significant because they include some of the most important human and animal pathogens, causing diseases such as anthrax, tetanus, botulism, and gangrene
- Clostridium typically have a slight bulge around the spore, giving the appearance of a drumstick
- Bacillus does not show this bulge –> can differentiate
bacterial endospore
complex structure with a coat composed of highly condensed proteins that is resistant to penetration by most chemicals
- the resistance of bacterial endospores makes
them highly refractory to both staining and destaining
- most commonly used spore staining procedure is the Schaeffer-Fulton method
vegetative cells
growing cells
- spores usually germinate back into vegetative cells when conditions are more favorable
three basic types of growth media
- general growth media
- selective media
- differential media
general growth media
non-specific media configured to culture a wide range of microorganisms without particular restrictions
- e.g. nutrient agar and Luria-Bertani Broth (LB broth)
selective media
specifically configured to restrict the growth of particular organisms while allowing others to grow
- typically will have a growth-inhibiting additive (e.g. bile salts, crystal violet or an antibiotic, which will limit growth on the medium to only those organisms that are desired
- e.g. Pseudomonas Isolation Agar (PIA), which is used int he isolation and cultivation of Pseudomonas, while restricting the growth of most common contaminating organisms
- selective media are used in the identification of particular microorganisms and when it is desirable to restrict the growth of contaminants
differential media
specifically configured to yield an observable characteristic associated with the growth a particular organism or group of organisms that are able to grow on the medium
- e.g. blood agar, which will support the growth of a wide range of organisms, but is used to detect the ability of particular organisms to lyse red blood cells, which is observed as a zone of complete or partial clearing around the colony
selective and differential media
allows only particular organisms to grow and yielding an observable diagnostic characteristic such as a color change, which is associated only with the growth of a subset of these organisms
the more selective the medium…
the more stressful it is to the organisms that grow on it
- individual organisms that are already stressed may not grow on a particular medium even when the medium is specifically configured for the growth of members of that group of organism
- the problem of stressed or injured microorganisms typically results in false negative results (viable but non-culturable, VBMN)
viable but non-culturable (VBMN)
- gives the impression that an organism is not present in a particular sample when the reverse is actually true
- many bacteria that are not able to be cultivated on
artificial media are still able to carry out an infection and cause disease