Microbiology-microorganism identification Assignment

Microbiology-microorganism identification - Assignment Example From the diagnostic table, only four bacterial species are expected to test positive using Gram stain, namely Bacillus subtilis, Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis. The Gram stain test thus allows the analyst to reduce the number of possible bacterial species that need to be ruled out during the identification assay. Another characteristic that facilitates our species identification was associated with the positive results obtained from the methyl red (MR) test. The observation of a bright red color was instrumental in narrowing down our candidates species to two bacteria, namely Staphylococcus aureus or Enterococcus faecalis. The generation of negative results from the Gelatin Hydrolysis, Voges-Proskauer (VP) and Nitrate Production tests also assisted in the identification of bacterial species. No, not all the observed characteristics agreed with those indicated in Bergey’s Manual. The cell arrangement of our organism was observed to be in single pairs or short chains, while the manual described that the bacteria were generally found in clusters. In addition, a positive result was observed in the citrate utilization test, when the manual indicated that our bacterial species generally results in a positive reaction. Unfortunately, the catalase and oxidase tests were not performed due to lack of time. The microbiological assay involves the reaction of the catalase enzyme, as it disrupts hydrogen peroxide, resulting in the production of water, as well as oxygen. Catalase is considered as a very common protein enzyme that is present in almost of organisms and is regarded by microbiologists as a very useful enzyme that helps in the identification of specific bacterial species (Maehly and Chance, 1954). It is also possible to identify the bacterial species through its requirement for oxygen. It should be understood that both oxidation and