Definitions: Special Media for Isolating Bacteria

Selective Media: contain chemicals that prevent the growth of unwanted bacteria without inhibiting the growth of the desired organism

Enrichment Media: usually liquid media, contain chemicals that enhance the growth of desired bacteria. Other bacteria will grow but the growth of the desired bacteria will be increased.

Differential Media: contain various nutrients that allow the investigator to distinguish one bacterium from another by how they metabolize or change the media with a waste product

*Techniques used >>  Compound light microscopy
                                       Smear Preparation
                                       Gram Staining
                                       Aseptic Technique
                                       Inoculating loop technique
                                       Streak plate procedure

Definitions: Structural Stains (Endospore, Capsule, and Flagella)

Endospore: formed by several genera in the order of Bacillus and Clostridium which are the most familiar genera. Endospores are usually called "resting bodies" because they do not metabolize and are resistant to heating, various chemicals, and many harsh environmental conditions. Endospores are not for reproduction; they are formed when essential nutrients or water are not available.

Capsules: secreted chemicals that adhere to their surfaces forming a viscous coat, genetically determined, size of the capsule is influenced by the medium on which the bacterium is growing. Most capsules are formed of polysaccharides. Capsules have an important role in the virulence of some bacteria.

Flagella: most common means of motility; thin proteinaceous structures that originate in the cytoplasm and project our from the cell wall. They are very fragile and are not visible with a light microscope. 

An Investigation: Researchers have found that women who have diabetes and are obese before pregnancy are actually 67%  or two times more likely, to have a child with autism compared to women who are not.  The children born from these unhealthy mothers posses certain common types of deprivations such as, socialization skills along with communication skills. Surprisingly, researchers have been working on searching for genetic causes for autism and have suggestions regarding genetic mutations to make the child susceptible to autism. If statistics regarding physical health of women who are pregnant in the United States it would round up to this: 34% are obese, 16& have metabolic deficiencies, 9% are diabetic, and more than 1% of pregnancies are interrupted because the mother has high blood pressure. This tell us that, because of diabetes, insulin resistance and inflammation in the body, can make a fetus vulnerable to high glucose levels that lead to complications in brain developments. During pregnancy, sugar levels that are being submitted by the mother have to be well balanced for the fetus because of the different effects of the sugar levels being too high or low (always effects in the brain). FYI: purposes of insulin in the body
http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/09/moms-weight-or-diabetic-condition-may-be-a-factor-in-autism/?hpt=he_c2

Reflections: I remember when I was about nine or ten years old, my mom taught me how to clean my room and how to use disinfecting wipes (like Lysol, Clorox wipes and Windex) on my tables and toys. She explained to me how everything (in the house and outside) has some kind of bacteria that can get me sick. Ever since then I entered this "germaphobic" stage for a couple of years. From that experience, I've learned to always clean up before and after myself. Taking Microbiology, has actually taught me to not be so scared of germs since, I always saw them as dangerous and disgusting. Our class discusses bacterial topics that go further into description than what everyone outside assumes they are. Everything I have learned so far has improved my knowledge in pathogens (viruses, bacteria, algae, fungi) and learned to appreciate the "good" bacteria and be cautious of the "bad" ones.

Moist Heat: commonly used to disinfect , sanitize, sterilize, and pasteurize, kills cells by denaturing proteins and destroying cytoplasmic membranes

Thermal Death Point: the lowest temperature that kills all cells in a broth in 10 minutes

Autoclaving: using heat and higher temperatures than that of boiling water, pressure is applied to boiling water to prevent the escape of heat in steam which succeeds in achieving sterilization is that the temperature at which water boils

Dry Heat: for substances such as powders and oils that cannot be sterilized by boiling or with steam, or for materials that can be damaged by repeated exposure to steam (denatures proteins)

Lyophilization: technique combining freezing and drying to preserve microbes and other cells for many years

Filtration: passage of a fluid or gas through a sieve designed to trap particles/ microbes (cells or viruses), can be used to sterilize such heat-sensitive materials like solutions, antibiotics, vaccines, liquid medicines, enzymes, and culture media

Sterilization: refers to the removal or destruction of all microbes, including viruses and bacterial endospores on an object; usually indicates harmful microorganisms and viruses

"Sterilization should be used for instruments, surgical gloves, and other items that come into direct contact with the blood stream or normally sterile tissues."

Aseptic: environment  or procedure that is free of contamination by pathogens

" Vegetables and fruit juices are available in aseptic packaging, and surgeons and laboratory technicians use aseptic techniques to avoid contaminating a surgical field or laboratory equipment."

Disinfection: refers to the use of physical or chemical agents known as disinfectants that usually treat inanimate objects since disinfectants alone cannot inhibit endospores or some viruses

" Antiseptics and disinfectants have the same components, but disinfectants are more concentrated or  can be left on a surface for longer periods of time."

Degerming: the removal of microbes from a surface by scrubbing, through chemicals such as soap or alcohol are commonly used during degerming, scrubbing is very important than chemical processes

" A nurse degerms your arm during preparation for an injection by rubbing the desired site with an alcohol pad before injecting."






Sanitation: process of disinfecting places and utensils used by the public to reduce the number of pathogenic microbes to meet accepted public health standard issues via steam, hot water and scrubbing

" You can disinfect your plates at home while restaurants must sanitize theirs."

Pasteurization: the use of heat to kill pathogens and reduce the number of spoilage microorganisms in food and beverages

" Milk, fruit juices, wine, and beer are commonly pasteurized." 

Reflections:
One of the chapters in our Microbiology textbook discusses how to control microbial growth in the environment. This chapter was so intriguing because it explained numerous ways of how microbial control, whether it is on your hands, the juices and foods we eat and drink, to our actual air. Some methods are filtration, freezing, desiccation, pasteurization, and autoclaving (to name some). Not every substance or object can be degermed the same way. So with this in mind, there also multiple ways to remove microbes (pathogens, viruses, bacteria) since each have a different purpose. For example, since we have bacteria on our skin, we can sanitize (which means to reduce pathogenic microbes) our hands and scrub off the bad bacteria by doing this. Each method has different practical uses which is pretty cool to be aware of and to have a sense of what is appropriate in a sense to "degerm" certain materials and how they are actually sterilized.

Investigation:
A new study has found out why glucose is so important to fat cells. Research groups have shown how fat cells can protect our bodies against diabetes. Because fat cells control healthy blood sugar and insulin throughout the body, fat cells need only a small portion of sugars from food. The problem in obesity is that it cuts off sugar molecules needed which as a result, blocks the glucose from entering the fat cells. Cells that have trouble taking in sugar, usually leads to diabetes. For the future, scientists will actually investigate fatty acids (glucose metabolism in adipose tissue) and altering fat cells and the molecules they secrete since they are recommended as a healthy part of our diet. 
Check it out: http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2012/04/01/study_finds_protective_gene_in_fat_cells.html

Investigation:
In the medical field, we are truly living the future. The fear of dying is less felt in hospitals compared to being on a waiting list for a good-willed person to donate an organ versus the new scientifically grown organs engineered to act exactly as our natural organs. So far, there is artificial skin and cartilage, synthetic windpipes, artificial blood vessels, and bladders as well. The only problem is that in order for larger and more complex organs (like the heart, muscles, and tissues) to function perfectly is that they have to "feel" the environment. For example, grow and perform in the right blood ph, temperature, and cells and bacteria. Well, at least the common, artificial organs we have today are working perfectly, a bladder has already lasted for more than a decade on a past patient. 
Check it out: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120223-will-we-ever-create-organs/2

An Encounter Story:
It was a Saturday morning, while I was having breakfast in bed and flipping through the channels, I happened to stop at something that caught my attention. It was a childish cartoon series that obviously doesn't have so much viewer since it was on a Saturday morning! They were bacteria (who were villains) who reproduced quickly to try and destroy the environment that the Anti-Virus superheroes try to protect. They start out as human beings and suddenly morph into bacteria, viruses, pathogens and probably more. I normally do not watch any type of cartoons but I must say, I hope this cartoon series is still around for my future children because it showed so many information (for young children) to learn at such ages!!! 

An Encounter Story :

It was a pretty unusual experience in Microbiology today. We were learning about bacteria and the different types of motility they have to move around. While listening to the professor, I turned my attention over to a little bug on the empty chair in front of me. I told my cousin (who is in the same class as I am) to look at it, to see what it was up to. Turns out, that it was on a girl's scarf at first then a couple minutes passed and somehow traveled to the next empty chair that had her purse on it. Immediately, my cousin and I looked at each other and joked about how the bug was an example of a bacterium jumping from host to host! Perhaps the little bug was attracted to the texture of her scarf and wanted to use it as its sleeping bed. Everything that our professor was lecturing, suddenly came to life! Just as every Bacteria has a specific way of motility and preference to which host it will stick to, the little bug seemed to not like the girls' purse. It was a lucky day to just randomly experience a real- life experience! 

These are what bacteria Really look like!   XD

Glycocalyx:one way to put it is a "sugar coat" a better explanation is a network of polysaccarides that rise from cellular surfaces (bacteria). It serves as a slimey layer to prevent bacterium by creating capsules, or allowing the bacterium to attach itself to vulnerable surfaces (like teeth or your lungs e.g: Streptococcus Pneumoniae which attaches itself to lung cells).

The glycocalyx can be found just outside the cell wall of a bacterium.Glycocalyx is very helpful when it comes to protect bacteria from phagocytes. When a certain amount is layered, it can be known as biofilm.

"The slime on the outside of a fish is considered to be glycocalyx."

Desiccation: State of extreme dryness

" The desiccation of the small town's lake, caused a great dehydration for the people."

Viscous: Thick, heavy, sticky fluid with very slow flow movement

"People who have asthma usually blame it on thick and viscous mucous."

Here are a few definitions (along with pictures) that I have been discovering along the way:

*fungicide: an agent that kills fungi
"This new fungicide helps prevent disease control for shrubs, flowers and roses."

*flagellum: a thin threadlike attatchments on prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells that are helpful to their mobility.

" Bacteria uses their flagellum to swim around their aqueous environment."

*extremophiles:microorganisms that grow under harsh or extreme environmental conditions such as very high temperatures or low PHs
"Extremophiles are found in a unexpected, even extreme places."

New Beginnings

This blog is simply for all my new encounters, reflections, investigations, and some new dictionary terms I will learn over time, in my Microbiology class. Hope it's useful.