Did you know that according to studies, there are 5 million trillion bacteria that live on earth? Whoa, that’s a lot! One of the ways that scientists keep track of the various species of bacteria it’s through bacterial identification.
If you are wondering what that is, we’ll explain it in this short guide. Read on to learn more.
What’s the Purpose of Bacterial Identification?
The identification of bacteria and other microorganisms is needed to correctly diagnose diseases, treat infections, and monitor disease outbreaks that are the result of microbiome infections. Bacteria identification is used for things such as criminal investigations, environmental studies, bioterrorism threats, as well as microbial forensics.
Below are some of the other uses of bacterial identification:
Epidemiology-for monitoring and detecting the expansion and outbreaks of diseases, as well as identifying new isolates that are resistant to antibiotics.
Healthcare– Precise and rapid identification and effective treatment of bacteria, fungi, and parasites for timely and accurate diagnosis of an illness.
Pharmaceutical Industry– Since microbes are a serious threat to sterility, the correct identification of environmental microbes within the pharmaceutical sector is often a good manufacturing practice (GMP) requirement.
How are Bacteria Identified?
The general presence of a microorganism, including its form, size, color, and smell encompasses macroscopic characteristics. Macroscopic characteristics can be thought of as those that you can see through the naked eye. You can also identify the form of a microorganism by observing the gross morphological or macroscopic characteristics of an agar culture.
By using staining, culturing, and basic biochemical experiments, previous techniques for bacteria identification focused on phenotypic identification. However, new and more effective molecular, immunological, and biochemical analytical approaches are now complimentary to conventional techniques and often replace them.
What to Look for When Examining Agar Cultures
When it comes to the identification of bacteria in microbiology, there are certain characteristics to look for. Here are some basic bacterial identification methods for bacteria and other microorganisms:
- Bacteria usually has a strong smell that makes it stand out. For instance, filamentous fungi are generally odorless or have an earthy smell. Therefore it’s easier to distinguish it from bacteria.
- Bacteria normally form within distinct colonies that are either slimy or extremely dry in texture. The colonies also differ in color and range from white to bright red.
- In regards to yeast, they are often the most difficult to identify solely on microscopic features. This is because their colonies look similar to bacterial colonies.
Now that you know more about bacterial identification, here’s information regarding the costs of microbial testing.
Understanding Bacterial Identification
Bacterial identification plays such an important role in helping to cure diseases, diagnose diseases, and so much more. Without it, scientists and healthcare professionals would have a difficult time handling illnesses. Thankfully, we have technology that can help with this issue.
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