Bacteria Separation
Design a bacterial separation problem using the terms from Chapter 7. The problem should include 3 or more bacteria in a mixed culture. Design two problems for 1 bonus point each, and answer 1 problem designed by a classmate for 1 bonus point. *** 3 Bonus points possible
Example Problem: You are given a mixed culture containing an aerobic thermophile, aerobic psychrophile that is also a halophile, and an anerobic mesophile bacteria. How will you separate these into pure cultures?
Example answer:
1) Separate the culture into 3 new tubes for isolation conditions
2) To isolate the Thermophile: Expose tube 1 to high temperatures above 45 Degrees Celsius, all bacteria will die except the Thermophile.
3) To isolate the Psychrophile: Expose tube 2 to cold temperatures below -15 degrees Celisius, all bacteria will die except the Psychrophile.
4) To isolate the Anaerobic Mesophile: Expose tube 3 to anaerobic conditions without oxygen, both aerobes will die, only the Anaerobe will live.
Note: If two bacteria are too closely related for the above approach, you could use the streak plate to isolate colonies to obtain a pure culture. You can differentiate different bacteria by colony color, form, elevation, margin on a agar plate.
