You will be working with
living organisms, any of which are potential pathogens. You must practice aseptic techniques when
handling such organisms.
Living organisms require lots of attention. Expect to be in the lab other than the scheduled lab hours.
Evaluation of lab work is based upon:
v
The quality
of your lab journal;
v
Your
demonstration of correct application of lab techniques;
v
Your class
participation (including working as a team member with your tablemates, caring
for equipment, and sharing supplies;
v
Points earned
for assigned lab activities and a written lab exam;
v
Your
scheduling of weekly conferences with the instructor to discuss progress on
unknowns; and
v
Correct
identification of unknowns.
You will use A Photographic Atlas for the Microbiology Laboratory, 3rd Ed or later, by Leboffe and Pierce to help you with the lab exercises.
You will need to have purchased a lab journal no later than the second lab.
You must complete all lab requirements to get a final grade in this course.
Lab Schedule
Because you will be working with living organisms that do not obey the
college class schedules, you should expect to occasionally be in lab at times
other than scheduled lab times to check on bacterial growth and to perform
tests.
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Lab 1 – Working with oil immersion and prepared slides of bacteria.
Lab 2 – Working with oil immersion and making your own bacterial slides.
Labs 3/4 – Culturing bacteria, introduction to Gram staining.
Labs 5/6 – Spore staining, acid-fast staining and isolating bacteria.
Labs 7/8/9/10/11/12 (?) - Biochemical testing of bacteria/Identification of unknown bacteria. Tests include (but not necessarily in this order):
• Hydrolysis of Starch, Casein, Gelatin, Lipids
• Blood Agar (throat swabs)
• Carbohydrate Fermentation (sucrose, glucose, lactose)
• Hydrogen Sulfide Production (Kligler’s Iron Agar)
• Litmus Milk Medium
• Nitrate Reduction
• Ammonification (not in Atlas)
• Rapid Urea Hydrolysis
• IMViC (Indole, Methyl Red, Voges-Proskauer, Citrate tests)
• Motility
• Catalase Test
• Oxidase Test
• Thioglycollate Medium
• Antibiotic Resistance
Students will work on unknowns for the
remainder of the quarter. You will be required to turn in your journal several
times during the time that you work on unknowns. Your journal must be up to
date and all procedures and data clearly stated.
Once we have begun the unknowns, you
must schedule a minimum of one conference per week with the instructor. Failure
to do this will cost you lab points.