Lab Quiz 8: Water Quality Testing, Genetic Transformation, Lactose Operon Regulation, and Enterobacteriaceae Biochemistry (Bio 286 - Microbiology) Flashcards
indicator organisms
always present when feces are present (PRESENT IN FECES); should be absent when feces are absent (ABSENT WITHOUT FECES); organism should be very EASY TO GROW; organism should be EASY TO IDENTIFY (using differential media); organism should persist in the environment slightly longer than the pathogens (there is less problem with false positives than false negatives)
fecal coliforms
indicator organism used to detect fecal contamination of mammals (humans); lactose-fermenting gamma proteobacteria
fecal streptococci (enterococci)
indicator organism used to detect fecal contamination of animals (like ducks) but not humans; glucose-fermenting bacteria
ratio of coliforms to streptococci
indicates where fecal contamination originated
wastewater is not contaminated
< 400 FC/100 mL
surface water is not contaminated
<160 FC/100 mL
drinking water is not contaminated
< 1 FC/100 mL
coliforms : enterococci ≥ 4:1
source of fecal contamination is human
2:1 ≥ coliforms : enterococci < 4:1
source of fecal contamination is a mix between human and animal
0.7:1 ≥ coliforms : enterococci < 2:1
source of fecal contamination is unknown
coliforms : enterococci < 0.7
source of fecal contamination is animal
mFC plate
used to detect FECAL COLIFORMS… selective with BLUE ACIDS… differential with LACTOSE… colony color is BLUE… incubation temperature is 44.5 degrees Celsius
mEA plate
used to detect FECAL STREPTOCOCCI (Enterococcus)… selective with SODIUM AZIDE… differential with GLUCOSE… colony color is RED… incubation temperature is 35 degrees Celsius
dilution calculation (calculating number of fecal coliforms or streptococci per 100 mL)
[(cfu * SDF) / volume plated] x 100
ratio of coliforms to streptococci calculation
Blue Colonies (fecal coliforms) / Red Colonies (enterococci)
bacteria can horizontally transfer genes through
transformation, conjugation, and transduction
Frederic Griffith
first described the process of transformation using rough and smooth strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae… mixing the dead smooth strain with the live rough strain killed injected mice, but live smooth bacteria were isolated from these dead mice… indicating that something had transformed the rough strain into a smooth strain
rough strain
made small compact colonies; avirulent when injected into mice
smooth strain
made larger mucoid colonies; efficiently killed mice when injected into them and could be isolated from the mice postmortem (Koch’s postulates)
heat killing the smooth strain
made them nontoxic
mixing the dead smooth strain and the live rough strain
killed injected mice (despite non being virulent when injected individually); live smooth bacteria were isolated from the dead mice because something had transformed the rough strain into a smooths train
Oswald Avery
proved that the transforming material was DNA
competent
bacteria that are capable of transporting exogenous DNA into the cell and incorporating it into their genomes (ex: streptococcus pneumoniae)
on the nutrient agar plate without antibiotics
all strains of the acinetobacter calcoaceticus grow… but quadrant 3 (with only the heat killed smooth strain) does not grow anything as only the DNA genomes are present
on the nutrient agar plate with antibiotics (streptomycin)
only the smooth, resistant strain (quadrant 1) and the transformed rough -> smooth, resistant strain (quadrant 4) grows because the rough strain (quadrant 2) is susceptible and quadrant 3 only contained DNA
Griffith’s transformation experiment – quadrant 1
grow the rough, susceptible strain
Griffith’s transformation experiment – quadrant 2
grow the smooth, resistant strain
Griffith’s transformation experiment – quadrant 3
heat kill the smooth, resistant strain
Griffith’s transformation experiment – quadrant 4
mix the dead smooth strain with the rough, susceptible strain