Bacteria

So what do we know already about bacteria? Use Brain Tap sheet in front of you to tell me what you know about bacteria before we start this unit

So, what are bacteria? Two Domains of Bacteria The Archaebacteria (Ancient Bacteria) The Eubacteria* (True Bacteria)

The Archaebacteria Similar, but different to Eubacteria Have unusual lipids in their cell membrane Absence of Peptidoglycan in the cell wall Archaebacteria are known to inhabit extreme environments, though have recently been discovered to be more present in normal environments than first thought.

Methanogens: Unique method of harvesting energy – converting H2 and CO2 into methane Since oxygen is poisonous to them, they live in anaerobic environements (ie. The bottom of swamps, in the GI tract of humans) Extreme halophiles: Salt loving bacteria Live in areas of high salt concentration which would typically kill most microorganisms Thermoacidophiles: Live in extremely acidic environments, with extremely high temperatures (e.g. hot springs, volcanic vents)

The Eubacteria The focus of this unit Unicellular, prokaryotic organisms, characterized by the presence of a cell wall containing PEPTIDOGLYCAN Eubacteria come in a variety of different shapes, and structures, serving a large variety of different functions

Through this unit, we will be gaining a closer look into bacteria as we go along studying it… We will be learning about Bacterial shapes Gram staining, and other bacterial staining procedures The structure of the bacterial cell Culturing bacteria Antibiotic testing, and antibiotic resistance Bacteria and Human diseases

The Bacteriology Unit In this unit, we will be conducting our Biology classroom as if it were a clinical laboratory. This means we will be conducting ourselves in a professional and safe manner We will be working with live organisms, many of which are associated with human diseases Not to threat, these bacterium will not cause you illness if handled properly

Moving Forward This unit will be constructed like a clinical laboratory. We will be looking at MBSS as a “patient” in which we are trying to isolate a bacterial infection from.

Bacterial Media Bacteria is typically cultured on media, containing agar. The agar is an excellent nutrient source for the bacteria, allows the bacteria to grow rapidly and form colonies on the agar plates.

Bacterial Media Nutrient Media What we will be using in this laboratory Provides bacteria a source of nutrient to allow for optimal growth Selection Media Selects out certain types of bacteria , while allowing others to grow E.g. MacConkey Agar – Contains crystal violet, which ruptures Gram positive bacteria, only allowing Gram Negative bacteria to grow Chromogenic Media Contains enzymes which grow bacterial colonies in different colours to aid in the identification of bacterial pathogens

So, Let’s get to work culturing our bacteria With your PARTNER (Not enough resources for individual work) Grab a plate, and split it in 6 sections Go around the school, and swab 5 different areas using the Q-tip and beakers of distilled water provided. Leave one section as a “Control” section DO NOT SWAB YOUR THROATS/MOUTHS or the INSIDE OF A TOILET OR URINAL