Will Numair
5/2/2016
Bacterial Unknown Project:
Unknown #18
Purpose:
The purpose of this lab was to identify the species of an organism from a given TSB broth culture. Each student was given an unknown sample, and each sample had an assigned ‘sample number’ for post-lab verification by the professor. My sample number was #18. A list of possible organisms was given before any tests were run and a chart with the accepted test results for each organism was given as well. To correctly identify the organism, multiple biochemical tests were performed until enough test results were collected to single out the correct organism from the given list. Also given at the beginning of the lab was each samples results for the VP test (negative for my sample). Through the process of elimination, I concluded that my sample must have been Micrococcus Luteus. Micrococcus Luteus is a cocci, gram-positive bacteria and forms bright yellow colonies on nutrient agar. This was seen in my gram stain and streak plate test results.
Materials and Methods: The given result for the VP test and the results of the streak plate and gram stain helped eliminate most of the options for which organism the sample could have been. A MSA and EMB test were also run on the sample for confirmation that the sample was indeed M. Luteus. So a total of 4 tests were actually run, and one additional test was given.
