Lab Culture Stuff Flashcards
why is a mannitol salt plate red?
phenol red
what does phenol red indicate for?
pH
< 6.8 (yellow)
6.8 - 8.2 (red)
> 8.2 (pink)
what effect will bacteria that produce alpha hemolysins have on a 5% sheep blood agar plate?
there will be a red to green colour change and a clearing in the location of the colony only, as alpha hemolysins partially break down the haemoglobin of the sheep blood cells.
what effect will bacteria that produce beta hemolysins have on a 5% sheep blood agar plate?
there will be a red to green colour change and a clearing in the colony and surrounding regions, as beta hemolysins completely break down the haemoglobin of the sheep blood cells.
what effect will bacteria that produce gamma hemolysins have on a 5% sheep blood agar plate?
there will be no colour change, as gamma hemolysins do not break down the haemoglobin of the sheep blood cells.
capnophiles
organisms that thrive in the presence of high amounts of carbon dioxide
at what temperature do you incubate strep cultures?
37C (human body temperature)
when would you use a 5% sheep blood agar plate?
to check for the presence of hemolysins
advantages of solid media:
(a) Bacteria may be identified by studying the colony character, (b) Mixed bacteria can be separated. Solid media is used for the isolation of bacteria as pure culture. ‘Agar’ is most commonly used to prepare solid media.
agar
a polysaccharide extract obtained from seaweed, agar is most commonly used to prepare solid media
why is agar an ideal solidifying agent for preparing solid media?
it is : (a) bacteriologically inert (i.e. no influence on bacterial growth), (b) It remains solid at 37°C, and (c) It is transparent.
name the six types of routine laboratory media:
(1) basal media, (2) enriched media, (3) selective media, (4) indicator media, (5) transport media, and (6) storage media.
basal medi
basal media are those that may be used for growth (culture) of bacteria that do not need enrichment of the media. examples: nutrient broth, nutrient agar and peptone water. Staphylococcus and Enterobacteriaceae grow in these media.
enriched media
media that are enriched usually by adding blood, serum or egg. examples: enriched media are blood agar and Lowenstein-Jensen media. Streptococci grow in blood agar media.
selective media
these media favour the growth of a particular bacterium by inhibiting the growth of undesired bacteria and allowing growth of desirable bacteria. examples: MacConkey agar, Lowenstein-Jensen media, tellurite media (tellurite inhibits the growth of most of the throat organisms except diphtheria bacilli). Antibiotic may be added to a medium for inhibition.
