Microbial Growth 2.0 Flashcards
what is the purpose of culture media?
we need to grow, transport, and store microorganisms in the lab
how is culture media sold (2 ways)
- solid
- liquid
preparations
what must culture media contain?
all nutrients an organism requires for growth
how are culture media classified? (3 ways)
- by chemical constituents
- by physical nature
- by function
when classifying based on chemical constituents, what are the 2 types of culture media?
- defined/synthetic
2. complex
describe defined/synthetic media
each ingredient can be defined with a chemical formula
describe complex culture media
contain some ingredients of unknown chemical composition (like beef broth)
when classifying based on physical nature, what are the 3 types of culture media?
- liquid
- semisolid
- solid
when classifying based on function, what are the 4 types of culture media?
- supportive (general purpose)
- enriched
- selective
- differential
list and describe 3 additional media components
- peptones: protein hydrolysates from protein sources
- extracts: aqueous extracts, usually beef or yeast
- agar: sulfated polysaccharide solidifying agent
why is agar such a common media component?
most microbes can’t degrade it
what do supprotive or general purpose media do? what are they generally used for?
support the growth of many microorganisms, to identify microorganisms generally
give two examples of supportive or general culture media
- TSB: tryptic soy broth
2. TSA: tryptic soy agar
describe enriched media, such as blood agar
general purpose media supplemented with special nutrients
define selective media
allow for/select for the growth of particular microorganisms while inhibiting the growth of others
GROWTH/NO GROWTH
give an example of a selective media
MacConkey agar selects for gram-negative bacteria, gram-positive bacteria won’t grow on this agar
describe differential media
distinguishes among different groups of microbes and even permits tentative ID based on biological characteristics
(COLOR CHANGE)
does a plate have to be either selective OR differential?
no, some plates can do both
give an example of a differential media
blood agar distinguishes between hemolytic versus nonhemolytic bacteria
give an example of a plate that is BOTH selective AND differential
MacConkey agar again! It distinguishes between lactose fermentors versus nonlactose fermentors (lactose fermentors turn red as digest lactose)
describe fastidious microbes
need specific nutrient supplements to grow
what type of growth will fastidious microbe exhibit of general plates?
slow growth
describe facultative microbes
have a preference of aerobic versus anaerobic, but can grow in either aerobic or anaerobic conditions,
give an example of facultative microbes
rumen microbes
how can you recreate anaerobic conditions in a lab for anaerobic or facultative anaerobic microbes?
can use chambers or whole fancy systems
what is isolation of a pure culture? who developed this technique/idea (hint: this was part of his postulates)
a population of cells arising from a single cell; developed by Robert Koch
what does isolation of pure cultures allow for?
the study of a single type of microorganism in mixed culture
what are the 3 techniques used to isolate pure cultures?
- streak plate
- spread plate
- pour plate
describe the streak plate method
involves spreading a mixture of cells on an agar surface so that individual cells are well separated from each other; use an inoculating loop or swab
what is the end result of the streak plate method?
each cell can reproduce to form a separate colony
what is a colony?
a visible growth or cluster or microorganisms
describe the spread plate method
a small volume of diluted mixture containing approximately 25-250 cells is transferred and spread evenly over surface with a sterile bent rod
describe the pour plate method
- sample is serially diluted
- diluted samples are mixed with liquid agar
- mixture of cells and agar are poured into sterile culture dishes
when is the pour plate method good to use? why?
with a soil sample that had a lot of microbes on it; allows you to dilute down to count and pour onto plate
what is continuous culture of microorganisms?
growth in an open system with continual provision of nutrients and continual removal of wastes
what does continuous culture of microorganisms do to cells?
maintains cells in log phase at constant biomass concentration of extended periods
how is continuous culture of microorganisms achieved?
by using a continuous culture system
describe a continuous culture system
- constant supply of cells in exponential phase growing at a known rate
- study of microbiral growth at very low concentrations, close to those present in natural environment
- study of interactions of microbes under conditions resembling those in aquatic environments
when is a continuous culture system often used? (2)
- food and industrial microbiology
2. to study rumen microbes
what are the 2 measures of microbial growth?
- can measure changes in NUMBER of cells in a population
2. cam measure changes in MASS of population
what is the more specific measure of microbial growth?
direct measurement of cell numbers
what are the 2 ways of measuring cell numbers?
direct and viable cell counts
what are the 4 methods to measure cell numbers directly?
- counting chambers
- on membrane filters
- flow cytometry
- electronic counters- the Coulter counter
give a pro and con about the method of counting chambers to measure cell numbers
pro: easy, inexpensive, quick
con: cannot distinguish between living adn dead cells