Who else is taking/has taken Microbiology??

GrnHonu99, RN · May 19, 2005

I loved staining, too....gram staining, acid-fast staining, endospore staining...etc etc

goodie....i have a lab test tommorrow and maybe you can help me...lol..i have pathophys, pharacology, microbio, AP2, prof roles and issues, 2 nursing labs, physical exam class....im dying! i dont even have time to study for micro...sigh...ok so here is what i need to know:

Media: not so much what they are but what grows on them why do they turn purple/yellow/brown etc, i can name them all and i know their definitions but i need deeper details...what grows on them, why do we use them etc

selective

differential

what makes MAC and MSA selective and diff

what mmakes BAP differential

why does the agar turn purple/yellow/brown

organisms grown on each medium

enriched?

examples

fastidious

why use "lactose" as an indicator

how organisms affect the agar, staph, strep, gnb

Hemolysis-alpha/beta/gamma

colors

gram stain

color of org at each step

mordant

primary stain

decolorizer

if you could give me some ideas on any of these id really appreciate it, or anyone else who knows!!! i would be soooo greatful as i have another 10-11 hours of class today before i'll even get home....thanks so much guys!:)

LeiaT · May 19, 2005

When I get home and get out my notebook I'll write some about each...I'll be home in maybe 5 hours...hope it's not too late.

Serenyd · May 19, 2005

Hi all!
Anyone out there taking Micro this quarter?? I am and so far its pretty hard! Thought we could start a thread about our micro experiences...I had my first test today and it was soo hard over 80 questions.....ugh...we had to grow some smelly bacteria this week too....My instructor is not very good at lecturing and forgets to actually lecture then she just expects you to know it....how am i supposed to know what hemolysis is if you dont tell me! ANyway, here is a good link for micro...it has some awesome quizzes and online notecards...http://www.mhhe.com/talaro5
We can make this thread for anything to do with Micro! Where is everyone from and where are you taking micro and for what program??

Micro was the first class I took when I decided to try for a BSN degree - seems like a bizillion years ago - in '01. Boy was I in for a shock. Up until that point I had been taking semi-easy general ed classes. Micro was not easy - I made a 60 something on the first test (and I'm usually an A student). After that it was memorize, memorize, memorize. And for labs we not only had to grow stuff that stank, we had timed tests, like find the bacterium with a microscope in 30 seconds and pour auger into plates (-10 pts for every drop you spill). It seemed like torture at the time, but it helped me prepare for checkoffs in nursing school, and for that I'm thankful.

So hang in there and study hard, because you'll need the skills you're learning now for nursing school.

Seren

B.H · May 19, 2005

I took micro. and thought that it was very interesting. The concepts and information from the class is not hard to learn but the volumn of info. can make the class hard. Be consistant and methodical in your study habits and you should be fine.

LeiaT · May 19, 2005

Okay, here goes, you ready??! hahaha...

Media: the reason that media changes (differential media) is to differentiate between different organisms (for instance, Mannitol Salt Agar is differential for S. aureus. Only S. aureus can metabolize d-Mannitol, an ingredient in the agar, and it changes to the color gold).

selective media: a medium that allows growth of some species and suppressed growth of other species by adding certain ingredients to the medium.

differential media: if an indicator is incorporated into a medium at one color and the growth from the desired species changes the pH around the developing colonies, a different color will appear.

what makes MAC and MSA selective and diff

MacConkey Agar--selective: Bile Salts, differential: Lactose

Mannitol Salt Agar--selective: Sodium Chloride, differential: d-Mannitol

what mmakes BAP differential--Blood Agar Plate? I'm not sure, I know it's used for Beta/Alpha/Gamma hemolysis.

why does the agar turn purple/yellow/brown

don't understand your question

organisms grown on each medium

here are some selective and/or differential agar and what they grow:

MANNITOL SALT AGAR--selective because only Staphylococcus grow, differential because of d-Mannitol (S. aureus metabolizes it)

SIMMONS CITRATE AGAR--only differential. only organisms that can break down sodium citrate turn the agar blue, because of the pH indicator Brom Thymol Blue

MACCONKEY AGAR--selective because it only grows Gram - rods. Neutral Red and Crystal Violet make it differential (for what, I forgot, sorry)

E.M.B AGAR--Selective for Gram - rods. Differential for E. coli, which turn metallic green.

enriched media--has elaborate or highly specific nutrients

fastidious--

why use "lactose" as an indicator--unsure of what questions means...i know to make it differential..but is that what you mean?

how organisms affect the agar, staph, strep, gnb--which agar?

Hemolysis-alpha/beta/gamma

alpha--partial hemolysis--greenish color

beta--complete hemolysis of RBCs on plate--red--agar becomes transparent

gamma--no effect

gram stain steps/colors:

1. Crystal violet (primary stain)--Stains all

2. Gram's iodine (mordant)--fixes stain on cells

3. alcohol-acetone solution (decolorizer)--decolorizes G-neg.

4. Safranin (counterstain)--stains G-neg cells.

Hope this helps, let me know if I forgot anything or you need more help or if something's not clear.

SCmomof3, RN · May 20, 2005

Wow - very informative post. Thanks for taking the time to do that.

We had our third class/lab tonight. We had to look at various bacteria under the oil immersion scope and identify them. Those suckers are hard to see!! I am so blind - I'm going to be in trouble. I think part of the problem was poorly stained slides though. Some slides were much better than others, and thus, easier to identify.

truern · May 20, 2005

Don't make the mistake I did in Micro....I had just got new MONOVISION contact lens and couldn't see a thing in the microscope :chuckle :uhoh3:

To make matters worse, I could have just taken out the one for far vision, but I can only squint with one eye. Wanna guess which eye had the near vision contact?!? :rotfl:

tanaynicole · May 20, 2005

I'm taking my Micro final next week ( the 23rd). I wish had found this site earlier, I would have been great to have someone else to complain to than my boyfriend. My instructor is great and I really love the class...but the test were murder!! 6 questions, all 15+ points all essay and my instructor is one that wants real detail, Pictues discription the whole works!! All I can can say is thank GOD for lab or else I don't think I would be passing the class.

Good luck to all taking finals this week!!

GrnHonu99, RN · May 20, 2005

Okay, here goes, you ready??! hahaha...
Media: the reason that media changes (differential media) is to differentiate between different organisms (for instance, Mannitol Salt Agar is differential for S. aureus. Only S. aureus can metabolize d-Mannitol, an ingredient in the agar, and it changes to the color gold).
selective media: a medium that allows growth of some species and suppressed growth of other species by adding certain ingredients to the medium.
differential media: if an indicator is incorporated into a medium at one color and the growth from the desired species changes the pH around the developing colonies, a different color will appear.
what makes MAC and MSA selective and diff
MacConkey Agar--selective: Bile Salts, differential: Lactose
Mannitol Salt Agar--selective: Sodium Chloride, differential: d-Mannitol
what mmakes BAP differential--Blood Agar Plate? I'm not sure, I know it's used for Beta/Alpha/Gamma hemolysis.
why does the agar turn purple/yellow/brown
don't understand your question
organisms grown on each medium
here are some selective and/or differential agar and what they grow:
MANNITOL SALT AGAR--selective because only Staphylococcus grow, differential because of d-Mannitol (S. aureus metabolizes it)
SIMMONS CITRATE AGAR--only differential. only organisms that can break down sodium citrate turn the agar blue, because of the pH indicator Brom Thymol Blue
MACCONKEY AGAR--selective because it only grows Gram - rods. Neutral Red and Crystal Violet make it differential (for what, I forgot, sorry)
E.M.B AGAR--Selective for Gram - rods. Differential for E. coli, which turn metallic green.
enriched media--has elaborate or highly specific nutrients
fastidious--
why use "lactose" as an indicator--unsure of what questions means...i know to make it differential..but is that what you mean?
how organisms affect the agar, staph, strep, gnb--which agar?
Hemolysis-alpha/beta/gamma
alpha--partial hemolysis--greenish color
beta--complete hemolysis of RBCs on plate--red--agar becomes transparent
gamma--no effect
gram stain steps/colors:
1. Crystal violet (primary stain)--Stains all
2. Gram's iodine (mordant)--fixes stain on cells
3. alcohol-acetone solution (decolorizer)--decolorizes G-neg.
4. Safranin (counterstain)--stains G-neg cells.
Hope this helps, let me know if I forgot anything or you need more help or if something's not clear.

OMG you SAVED my life!!!!!!!! I had to resched. my test bc I just couldnt take it yesterday....im pulling 10-12 hr school days and try to study but with such a heavy course load its hard to come home and put in 3-5 more hours of studying every night..so THANKS SOOO MUCH!!! when I get an A on the test i'm going to dedicate it to you lol!!!

LeiaT · May 20, 2005

You're welcome...sounds like you have your hands full. I hope you get an A, too. Is this for your lab test or lecture test?

kdredman · May 20, 2005

Hi!! I'm taking Micro, second part of summer. Thanks for the updates....I will keep reading. If anyone out there replied to any of kdredman will you please send me your replies again. I really value what you have to say. Thanks. Good Luck in micro.

Hi all!

Anyone out there taking Micro this quarter?? I am and so far its pretty hard! Thought we could start a thread about our micro experiences...I had my first test today and it was soo hard over 80 questions.....ugh...we had to grow some smelly bacteria this week too....My instructor is not very good at lecturing and forgets to actually lecture then she just expects you to know it....how am i supposed to know what hemolysis is if you dont tell me! ANyway, here is a good link for micro...it has some awesome quizzes and online notecards...www.mhhe.com/talaro5

We can make this thread for anything to do with Micro! Where is everyone from and where are you taking micro and for what program??

GrnHonu99, RN · May 20, 2005

You're welcome...sounds like you have your hands full. I hope you get an A, too. Is this for your lab test or lecture test?

Thanks! well i just got back from my test and i think i aced it:):) we have lab and lecture but we dont have a seperate lab grade. The test I took today was over specific things that we have learned in lab....we had our 2nd test last week over the regualr course specific things.....

I am thinking about posting some review sheets with answers on my website and maybe some power point slides, would this benefit anyone? If anyone would like to see some of them let me know and i'll let you know when they are up. I am trying to keep a website or blog all about my nursing school exp. with all my academic classes and whatnot...kinda like an online filing cabinet...lol....im going to try and post some AP stuff too along with Patho and Pharm as soon as I get a chance!!!

thanks again for the help!