soil microbes intro
TRANSCRIPT
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INTRODUCTIONThe objective of this lab was to isolate antibiotic resistant bacteria. The
bacteria that were used in this lab were taken from several random soil
samples in the Harrisonburg area. After an incubation period these samples
began to grow different species of soil microbes. Soil microbes are a type of
bacteria that aid in decomposition and help to recycle elements, including
carbon and nitrogen, for the use of other organisms. The soil microbes,
which are microscopic cells, form into colonies. The colonies are a group of
cells that can be seen by the naked eye which are formed by the division of
one or more cells. All colonies are random in shape, size, and color. One
such group of soil microbes are the actinomycetes. Actinomycetes are
known to be antibiotic producers that form into long filamentous structures at
a slow rate and are gram-positive. Antibiotics are, as suggested in the name,
kill or inhibit the life of organisms. As antibiotics work to kill or inhibit a
cells life a zone of inhibition forms around the colony, or targeted cells. The
zone of inhibition is a blank area around antibiotic producing bacteria that
occurs because other bacteria cant grow around it. (Hurney, et al. , 2008).
Bacterial colonies are very hard to tell apart. There are, however,
several different morphologies that help to distinguish between different
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colonies. Three such colony morphologies include filamentous, circular, and
spiral shaped. The filamentous bacterial colonies are long and rod-shaped.
Actinomycetes are most often rod-shaped, filamentous structures that are
cream colored. The circular shaped colonies are, as suggested by the name
small circles. The spiral shaped colonies are lines that rotate into a spiral
pattern. (Hurney, et al. , 2008).
We chose bacterial colonies that were farther away from most of the
colonies. We chose these because they exhibited a filamentous structure
with a greenish hue and black lines within it. In the center of the colony
there were curvy lines and there was not a smooth edge on the outer ring of
the colony. The outer edge was darker while the center was much lighter in
color. We chose this particular colony because it displayed characteristics of an actinomycete. Actinomycetes are usually antibiotic producers, which is
why we chose to use this colony in order to promote the growth of an
antibiotic.
Antibiotics select to only work on prokaryotes because of their
peptidoglycan cell wall. Eukaryotes dont have this feature, making it harder
for antibiotics to affect them. The antibiotic penicillin targets the
peptidoglycan cell wall of bacteria, which is only found in prokaryotes.
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Other antibiotics focus exclusively on the inhibition of protein synthesis.
(Hurney, et al. , 2008).
In this lab, we tested whether bacteria A or bacteria B isolated from soil
produces an antibiotic that inhibits the growth of other bacteria. If this
hypothesis is correct then a zone of inhibition will form around the antibiotic
producing microbe (Hurney, et al. , 2008).
Works Cited
Hurney, CA, A. Pesce, and SK Babcock. 2008. Organisms, a laboratory
manual for Bio 114, Sixth Edition, Hayden-McNeil Publishing Inc.,Plymouth, MI, 172-174 pp.