“Choose your unknown wisely” were the words that our instructor used when we were picking our unknown bacterial microorganism. Each person was paired with another member of the class, and was expected to work as a team to figure out the unknown that was chosen. Using steps and experiments from the Bergey’s Manual, we were suppose to figure out the unknown and how the bacteria we had chosen was classified and characterized. My hypothesis when first starting the test was that this unknown was going to be something we had already dealt with in class. I thought our unknown would be Escherichia coli.
Materials and Methods
When we chose our unknown bacterial microorganism, it had the number one on the side. The broth had a one in turbidity on a scale from one (being the lowest) to four (being the highest). To see more clearly in the tube, swirling was used for sediment to be seen. The first experiment we did was testing the unknown to see if it was a gram-negative bacterium or whether it was a gram-positive bacterium. Majority of the bacteria that had been handled with in class fell under gram negative. How to tell whether the bacteria is gram negative or gram positive is by staining the bacteria and watching it change it’s color. If the bacteria turn purple, that would show that the bacteria are gram-positive. If the bacteria turn red, then that would …show more content…
Well part of the hypothesis was wrong; the part that was intended to count. The first experiment had my hopes high because the unknown was a gram negative and it had rods. But then as we furthered our search, our unknown was an oxidizing agent and for it to E. coli then it had to be acid and gas form lactose. As we did more research, I learned that A. faecalis it is not a researched that is widely compared to other microorganisms. Some of the infections this bacterium could cause are ear infections, meningitis, and infection amongst the