Microbiology

Description

1. 

Microbiology in the News. Write a 2 pages APA FORMAT paper about a recent event in microbiology. Please use a scientific article  

2.Case Studies

Scenario 1: You are a member of a diagnostic laboratory responsible for evaluating patient specimens collected at a local clinic in a rural area. The isolation and subsequent identification of specific pathogens from these samples must be conducted “in-house” with basic laboratory equipment. Through the evaluation of patient symptoms and background information, there appears to be an outbreak of gastroenteritis among a number of families that are sharing the same well as a water source. Through stains, bright-field microscopic examination, and basic biochemical tests you conclude that the organism causing the problem may be Salmonella. Salmonella is a motile bacterium that is an active “swimmer,” and therefore the laboratory manager suggests that you determine whether the organism you have isolated a motile. Motility medium would take at least 24 hours to produce a result. Your laboratory has bright-field, dark-field, phase-contrast, and fluorescence microscopes.

Discussion

1. What can you do to determine the motility of the suspected pathogen short of the 24-hour motility medium test?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of your proposed method(s)?

Describe the germ theory and spontaneous generation 

Compare and contrast spontaneous generation and germ theory as they relate to case scenario 1

1. Briefly describe the classification of the salmonella organism (domain, genus, species…. Etc. In order)

Scenario 2: You are a member of a team researching a new disease. The first step in your process is to determine the identity of the causative organism, using Koch’s postulates.

Discussion

1. What are some examples of pathogenic agents whose identity cannot be determined using the original four postulates?
2. How could the postulates be modified to cover those agents discussed in question 1?

Scenario 3: Some of the assistants in your laboratory forget to wash their hands after handling diagnostic samples, and when they do sometimes wash, it consists of rinsing their hands under a stream of cold water.

Discussion

1. From a chemistry perspective, explain the importance of using soap when washing hands.

From a chemistry perspective, explain the unique principles of water that make it such a good solvent/cleaner.

Scenario 2: At a university health center a student checks in with an eye infection. The student explains that he wears contacts and uses an enzyme cleaner every day to clean them. To save money he has been diluting the solution but compensating by heating the contacts in an oven to about 100° F. He was hoping that between the enzyme and the heat, the bacteria on the contacts would be destroyed.

Discussion

1. Would this procedure be adequate to keep the contacts free of bacteria?

What are some explanations for the apparent failure of the enzyme to clean the contacts?

1. What are the factors that affect enzyme activity?