1. Bacteria

2. 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

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

5. 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.

6. 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)

7. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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

15. 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