Microbiology - Fall 2005

Lanette · Oct 13, 2005

Hi I am from Millville,Pennsylvania. I am taking Micro theory & lab right now..I absolutely hate the class. We do a lot in lab for 1 credit. We had our first lab exam last week. We could use note cards with all the info for the different stains etc. I didnt recieve my grade yet, but hoping I did well. Good luck to all

newonboard · Oct 13, 2005

Thanks everyone u were all right . I messed up the lab.

I think you have to redo the lab experiment. Acid-fast staining is used for detecting the presense of all Mycobacterium.
Here's a quote from my lab book:
"The acid-fast stain is an important differential stain for identifying bacteria in the genus Mycobacterium, some of which are pathogens (e.g., M. leprae and M. tuberculosis, causative agents of leprosy and tuberculosis, respectively)."
I don't know how you got the Staphylococcus epidermidis to show (+) for acid-fast. What technique did you use? When my class did this lab we used the Ziehl-Neelsen method. The counterstain used was methylene blue.
Anything that was negative for acid-fast staining was the color blue. Just like you, we did M. smegmatis and S. epidermidis. The Mycobacterium was pinkish red and the Staphylococcus was stained blue.
That means the S. epidermidis is negative for acid-fast.
The other method of staining is the Kinyoun. If you used that method, then your S. epidermidis should have stained green by the brilliant green counterstain.
I guess after reading my post you won't have to redo the lab. Haha! Just remember what I wrote if you have a quiz or have to write a lab report.
Good luck in lab!

RedSox33RN · Oct 13, 2005

We got our first exam results back today. The class average was a 74% (passing is an 80), and I eeked out an 83.5%. Thank God! The highest exam score was a 94. I had convinced myself that I'd failed miserably.

Now we're on metabolism and starting fungi/yeasts. Blah.

But.....we had our 2nd pop quiz in lab, and I KNOW I failed that. Only 10 questions, and 4 I know I got wrong. I hate pop quizzes so much!! The other one I failed also, with a 6 out of 10.

I really am enjoying the lab, but I HATE that we only have 1 hour, 2x a week (my lab is right before lecture). By the time she is done explaining what we are to do that day, we usually have only 35-40 minutes left, literally. And that includes setting up and cleaning up. Since she also teaches the lecture right afterwards, and so many students run past the time in lab, our lecture doesn't start until 9:45 most days, when it is supposed to start at 9:30 and run until 10:45. Since there is a lab following our lecture, we have to end on time. It is really bumming me out that I'm not getting the quality time needed in lab. A lot of other students feel this way also, but there is nothing that can be done. Our prof won't come in any earlier for lab (to maybe start earlier, or have an open lab) because they lost their lab ass't and all the prof's are overworked (yeah, well so are we students!!).

BoonersmomRN · Oct 14, 2005

We just had our first lecture test and I thought it was really easy....I finished 35 minutes before anyone else...I write really fast though. Our 2nd lab test was Tuesday and I got a 100% on that. We are know doing the bacteriophages. In lecture we are doing the same. We wrapped up yeasts/molds on Tuesday. From now on we are focusing on viruses and then innate/adaptive immune system and they bacteria evade, etc. This class is really going fast for me...we are 1/2 way through the semester and it feels like I just started.

land64shark · Oct 15, 2005

Hi Guys,

Holy Mackeral! Where do I begin? My online micro class started Aug. 28. I haven't been participating here because there was just no describing how screwed up the whole class has been. It started out with technical problems on the school's end, but when that was fixed, the professor just basically did nothing. There were still many problems that he had to fix on his end like uploading links and quizzes, only he didn't know about them because he NEVER READ HIS E-MAILS!

Some of my at-home lab experiments didn't turn out as expected, so I e-mailed the professor looking for answers/help/guidance (as did many other students). He never answered. Heck, we could see who had read their emails along with the time and date. The only days that the professor read and answered (some) emails was on Sep 27 and 28. Just TWO DAYS out of 7 weeks! Then the lab quizzes would be based on interpretting our botched experiments. How fair is that?

Here it is, 7 weeks in and we haven't received a single grade, even though we've taken 4 lecture quizzes and 4 lab quizzes plus the labs themselves. Midterms are supposed to be next week.

The professor would post a messsage from time to time promising to catch up on his emails and grading, but it never happened. During this time, he was also involved in some sort of accident and was in the hospital for a couple of days (knee and ankle) and was unable to use the computer for a week (maybe more). Then he was moving into a new house and had no internet for a week. It was always one thing after another, but he never even tried to make good when he was able. He never accepted any blame nor thought there was even a problem. "Everything would work out."

The class (of 80 people) are hysterical! There are literally hundreds and hundreds of emails from desperate students begging for help and answers. Thank goodness we've had each other and have been in constant email communications with each other throughout these 7 weeks. We've been helping each other as best we can.

I can actually do without this class this semester (but I don't want to). Others HAVE to have it now or they can't start their nursing IV class or apply for their health sciences programs, etc. etc.

We've had enough! My class members and I went on a campaign to make the school "fix it". There were lots of emails sent to the provost and directors of e-campus, etc. There were appointments after appointments of face to face meetings with these same people. The school listened. Our professor was FIRED yesterday!

So, now we have a new instructor who is very aware of all of our difficulties.

She is going to start us over. (Do-over!) We have 9 weeks left and it's going to be an accellerated class. Supposedly, she will be fair to us and "consider our previous troubles". I don't know what that means. What a nightmare this has been! :uhoh3: :angryfire :crying2:

Fun2, BSN, RN · Oct 15, 2005

Wow, land64shark! That is terrible!

Rest assured though, my MicroSUX! class was an 8 week class, and I made an A. So, it is doable.

Study hard, and just do the best you can.

Best wishes!

BoonersmomRN · Oct 15, 2005

OMG that is horrible! Here I am sitting and complaining about how boring I find it...and you are suffering bad! I will keep my fingers crossed for you! Good luck- we are here to support you!

Race Mom, ASN, RN · Oct 15, 2005

I found out today that I got 10/10 on lab quiz 4. So far I have only missed 1/2 a point, but many more at risk!! Next weds. is our lab practica. 100 points. We have to do skills on smear/gram stain then be able to microscope it and classify, etc.... and a streak plate. I've taken my 10 pt lab quizzes seriously, just as I did in A&P. It leaves me a little breathing room for the mid/final. I can't believe we are already to mid term!!!

Life is so disgusting after learning in Micro! It was my son's birthday today. Grandma got him a cake with a hot wheels theme. It had a real hot wheels car on it and when he took it off the top of the cake, he started licking the frosting off of the bottom of the car :redlight: :redlight: :redlight: :redlight: :eek: :eek: :nono: :nono: I told him not to do that stuff while I am taking my Micro class! Can't imagine all of the bacteria on that one! How clean do you think the car was before they put it on the cake? And did the baker wash their hands? And is this what my life is becoming? Will I ever end up on the Maury Povich show because of my fear of germs?

They should rename the class Microphobia

Gotta go wash my hands!

Lisa

maliat · Oct 15, 2005

I know what you mean that you can't believe we're halfway done. We don't really have midterms, but I know from looking at how many tests I've done and how many I have left.

I need everyone's good thoughts becuase heading into a busy week. In lab we have our usual weekly quiz, plus we're doing mini unknowns. Then main thing they want us to do is making sure our streaking technique is good by being able to differentiate between two unknowns from a broth.

And then in lecture we have our second test on Metabolism, Microbial growth, and some things about classification of bacteria, fungi, algae and protozoa.

Plus I have a test in my statistics class, plus a big project and may quiz in Hawaiian studies.

I'll be spending the whole weekend studying.

Good luck to everyone with quizes, tests and labs.

Malia

land64shark · Oct 16, 2005

Well, our new instructor is trying her best to sort things out. She's been spending the last 36 hours communicating with us students, but she just posted a message that she won't be answering anything more until Monday because this course is way more screwed up than she had thought it was and we're just confusing her more. She needs to evaluate what can be done to make this do-able. I don't know how she's going to find the time to dig us out and keep up with her other classes. I don't know what they are paying her, but it certainly can't be enough.

Some grades have magically appeared. Most people are terribly upset with them and think they must be incorrect. I'm pretty happy with mine. I've managed to pull an A so far in both lecture and lab. (Low A, but I'll take it.) I have no idea how I've done that because I don't feel like I KNOW anything. There are a few grades missing. She is going to allow everyone to retake quizzes if they wish or if they are missing. (The questions will be different since they are mostly from a testbank.)

I'm afraid for the mid-term, which has been postponed. I just don't feel like I got the base that I should have, but I also don't want to retake quizzes that I've presently got A's on. So if I'm not taking quizzes, it's not nearly the same motivation to "relearn" the previous chapters. Oh how I hate micro! :uhoh3:

nursestudentin05 · Oct 17, 2005

I have an 85 average in this class, maybe higher, but Lord am I bored! I can't wait to finish this class. The lecture is OK although we have been doing one chapter for a month now, it is lab that I can't stand!

2 more months! :)

BoonersmomRN · Oct 17, 2005

It's funny....it's the exact opposite for me. Lab is fun and goes by sooo fast but that 1 1/2 hours of lecture is so boring I can barely stay awake. Last week I made Christmas lists and my grocery lists during class...yup it's THAT boring.