Identification of Unknown Bacteria: Help save baby Kuppelfangs from an epidemic! (Labster Lab Manual | F) Flashcards
What is the purpose of staining in microscopy and histology?
It is a technique to increase contrast in biological sxs
What is the principle of action in staining?
Stains and dyes may interact w/ sp tissues, cell populations, organelles or proteins within the sx, w/c allows them to be more easily discerned or quantified
What is the purpose of differential staining?
It is the process of differentiating bet diff kinds of cells
What is the most widely used differential stain in the microbiology lab?
Gram stain
What can be done to differential staining for the identification of unknown bacteria?
It can be combined w/ other techniques, such as differential and/or selective media or biochemical tests
What is bacterial culturing?
It is the practice of growing bacteria in the lab
What is the purpose of the culture medium?
To provide the nutrients that the bacteria need
What are the types of media where bacteria can grow?
1) Liquid culture
2) Media made solid
How is the culture media made solid?
By the addition of agar, w/c gives culture media a gel-like consistency
What are the other conditions that are important for bacterial growth?
1) Temperature
2) Gas composition
The other conditions that are important for bacterial growth are regulated by what?
Incubator
What is a pure culture?
A culture that only contains only a single type of microorganism
Provide exs of pure cultures
Some clinical sxs taken from normally sterile environments such as the blood or CSF
Where can sxs that likely contains a mixture of diff microorganisms come from?
From sites w/ diverse microflora such as nasal sxs or stool sxs
Can a pure culture be obtained from nasal sxs and stool sxs? If yes, how?
Yes, a pure culture can be obtained and maintained through sp culture conditions and good aseptic technique
True or False
Bacteria take up nutrients from the environment and transform them into energy and cellular components
True
Enzymes, proteins w/ catalytic act, are required to what?
To carry out many of the rxns necessary for metabolism
Metabolic processes and enzymatic characteristics vary bet what?
Vary bet bacterial strains and spp
Differences in metabolic processes and enzymatic characteristics of bacteria are exploited by what?
Exploited by differential or selective media and biochemical tests
True or False
Diff parts of the human body are not colonized by bacteria
False, because diff parts of the human body are colonized by bacteria
What are the diff characteristics of bacteria that may be present in the human body?
Bacteria may be:
1) Harmless or beneficial (commensals)
2) Disease-causing (pathogenic)
What are the 2 MOTs of pathogens?
1) Directly
2) Indirectly
How are pathogens transmitted indirectly? Provide an ex
Through ingesting contaminated food or H2O
Touching contaminated surfaces
What are the various defenses of humans against the transmission of microorganisms?
1) Physical barriers (skin or mucous membranes)
2) The flow of saliva or mucus
3) Low pH
4) Bile salts
How is the flow of saliva or mucus used as a defense against transmission of microorganisms?
To carry away microbes
How are low pH and bile salts act as defenses against transmission of microorganisms?
They damage microorganisms
What are the other term for commensal bacteria?
Also known as the normal flora, microbiota or collectively as the microbiome
What is the action of commensal bacteria?
Can also help protect against pathogens by inhibiting the growth or other microbes or the competitive advantage they have in the particular niche
What is the action brought by the immune system?
It allows the host to initiate a sp protective response to neutralize a microbial invasion
What is the result when a pathogen breaks the host defenses (of a human)?
It may cause infectious disease
