Microbiology and the isolation project. (1 Viewer)

[Tim035]

So we have this semester long assingment to isolate, cultivate and prove we have a specific genus of bacteria and then present a 20 minute presentation on our findings...

I'm cool with that (for now), except that they expect us to have a full plan of how we are going to carry out this whole project by next week!! A full list of neccessary equipment and reasons for needing such etc etc... I got put with cellulose digesting bacteria. However they only seem to really exist in cow rumen, termites and on the rare occasion in rain water. Now I don't really want to go digging through cow faeces, collecting termites or taking my odds on whether a rain water sample I get will have them or not.
Even so, I'm not going to magically know how to completely cultivate and test for specific strains of bacteria by next week, far out...

Oh also, I got a textbook outside of the given list 2nd hand for $50 basically by accident. It's Alcamo's fundamentals of microbiology 7th edition. Should this be ok? I'm kind of worried already as we are starting in lectures with microorganism evolution which this textbook seems to have shit all on......

 

[mr EaZy]

lol i missed the lecture today... opps havent listened to the i-lecture yet, im fine with getting the lecture notes- getting a book or cd or online info and reading from there

here's a few sites:

http://cwx.prenhall.com/brock/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=mmed.TOC&depth=2

http://wps.prenhall.com/esm_madigan_brockbio_10/5/1459/373653.cw/index.html

They're all based on brocks book i think and there's quizzes and stuff

so go for it., but i reckon u shouldnt rely on online stuff only, you need reliable info like from a book- these are just summaries and companion sites.

 

[Rekkusu]

So we have this semester long assingment to isolate, cultivate and prove we have a specific genus of bacteria and then present a 20 minute presentation on our findings...

I'm cool with that (for now), except that they expect us to have a full plan of how we are going to carry out this whole project by next week!! A full list of neccessary equipment and reasons for needing such etc etc... I got put with cellulose digesting bacteria. However they only seem to really exist in cow rumen, termites and on the rare occasion in rain water. Now I don't really want to go digging through cow faeces, collecting termites or taking my odds on whether a rain water sample I get will have them or not.
Even so, I'm not going to magically know how to completely cultivate and test for specific strains of bacteria by next week, far out...

Oh also, I got a textbook outside of the given list 2nd hand for $50 basically by accident. It's Alcamo's fundamentals of microbiology 7th edition. Should this be ok? I'm kind of worried already as we are starting in lectures with microorganism evolution which this textbook seems to have shit all on......

Damn how come I didn't see your topic these days! You have got to absolutely love love love microbiology!!

Ah Cellulose-degrading...hm I never got the chance to do it, I did kerosene degrading.

In your lab book, it should tell you exactly what to do for each bacteria (well that's for 07). Darn and you're doing group-work as well, that sucks!

Jeez that's exactly like Enviro micro style, that's the worst, since you need to think about what you need to do etc but then be faced with the disappointment that some things won't work out when the lab techs forget to get some agar or some other stuff.

By now I'll assume that you've already gotten your sample. If not, search via journals, really textbooks won't help too much by 2nd year Science.

Isolating it is really simple. All you have to do is use the loop and carefully pick out colonies from a streaked agar plate. Jeez 3 labs that's alot of micro students!

The simple strategy is:

1/ If it's cellulose degrading bacteria, grow it on mediums that select for these bacteria (i.e. or only have a substrate that c.d [abbreviation] bacteria use).
2/ Streak the colonies onto these mediums (Streak on at least 1-2 plates) this ensures that in case your colonies weren't streaked carefully which ALOT of micro introductory students do, you still get bacteria growing.
3/ The next week, carefully use the inoculating loop to touch a single colony and streak it all over a new plate (this ensures you have a continuous supply of the bacteria) - This step do as many as you have to for the different colonies present
4/Do the biochem tests - catalase, oxidase...Not sure if you get exposed to PCR, if so, lmao that's easy as!

All in all, it's a fantastic course. Wait till you use HBA alot, it's amazing what bacteria do!

 

[Tim035]

I made this post back in week 1, everything with this project is sweet now. They made a stuff up in the lab manaul where a part of the assingment due in week 3 (after easter break) said it had to be due week 2.
Microbiology is probably my favourite lab, lot of fun and very interesting, unlike some labs, bioc........
The first set of lectures i have to admit were a bit dull, but they've become a lot better lately and have a more pathogenic emphasis on the species we study which is really good.

 

[ichiraku]

Hey Rekkusu, do you by any chance do 3rd year Microbiology subjects? If so, could you give me your opinions on these subjects? Are the labs as cool and fun as the 2nd year labs are now?

 

[Survivor39]

Hey Rekkusu, do you by any chance do 3rd year Microbiology subjects? If so, could you give me your opinions on these subjects? Are the labs as cool and fun as the 2nd year labs are now?

All third year microbiology subjects are fun. Third year microbiology is much better than what you are doing now. Most courses are more structured and more prepared because the courses have been there for a long time. Microbiology 1 is a bit unorganised at the moment because they had to teach it in S1 for the first time, and course contents were re-organised to cater students with limited understanding in microbiology, whereas in previous year students who are doing micro 1 have already done Fundamentals of Micro and Immuno.

 

[Rekkusu]

Hi Ichiraku,

I'll be frank with you. Real honest.

With learning any course that you haven't seen before, it's somewhat interesting. However, 3rd Year Microbiology is extremely stressful, I cannot emphasise how crazy MICR3081 - bacteria & disease is. A single lecture could go through everything from symptoms to dozens of names of what genes makes what i.e. Vibrio chlorea, etc.

Your Mid-recess break during S1 is all gone because of 3081. There you'll need to isolate bacteria from about 2 sets of faeces, urine, wound, and throat. It's all individual. Once completed, you get a satisfactory pass, then move on. Funnily, alot of people placed alot of effort into it, just to know it's worth ZERO % But... it is very interesting! You work in the same conditions as what a microbiologist does in Douglas Hanly moir...

Just today, we had an hour and 7 minutes of this subject's lecture. The lecturer went through almost 15 steps of how the bacteria got into the host cell. The mechanisms are extremely specific. Hazel Mitchell tends to teach most of the course, with some supplemented by Ruiting Lan.

Microbial genetics is a definite NO NO. Genetics is probably the worst taught subject in UNSW. I made the mistake of choosing it again. USyd teaches this much better.

Immunology 1 is very interesting in terms of the lecture material!! The labs...well there isn't much to do. Except look at blood smears and count cells.

Environmental... If you like environmental go for it. Otherwise it's extremely tedious.

I do hope this helps! I understand how frustrating it is to get info on these courses, since there is no course outline provided.

 

[Roguedeth]

gram stain!!

 

[ichiraku]

Haha Survivor, I have Rebecca as my tutor/lab demo and she's always telling us how disorganised everything is. She always runs off after our tute to go grab lunch lol and then arrives at our lab 15 mins late. Can't blame her though - she must be hell busy being the co ordinatior for two courses.


Thanks for all the info Rekkusu. I really wish the Science Faculty could post up course outlines (even from previous years) so I could at least see what the courses would be like. I know the Commerce faculty does it on their website.

I've never had much of an interest in genetics so I guess I'm lucky in that respect. I also don't have to do 2nd year genetics (considering my 2nd year is already structured for me) so I guess that's a double yay.

Right now I'm leaning towards taking subjects for Medical Micro and Pathology. I haven't done Path yet, but I'm absolutely loving histology right now (which I've heard is a good precursor to pathology subjects). Funny that though, considering histology was the subject I was least looking forward to this semester. But the lecturer/demonstrator is so good and the fact that he doesn't post anything on webct gives me more insentive to actually pay attention.

Other than that, I'm also considering the 3rd year BIOC subjects. ANAT (except cell biology)and PHPH are definite no-no's though.

 

[Tim035]

Haha Survivor, I have Rebecca as my tutor/lab demo and she's always telling us how disorganised everything is. She always runs off after our tute to go grab lunch lol and then arrives at our lab 15 mins late. Can't blame her though - she must be hell busy being the co ordinatior for two courses.


Thanks for all the info Rekkusu. I really wish the Science Faculty could post up course outlines (even from previous years) so I could at least see what the courses would be like. I know the Commerce faculty does it on their website.

I've never had much of an interest in genetics so I guess I'm lucky in that respect. I also don't have to do 2nd year genetics (considering my 2nd year is already structured for me) so I guess that's a double yay.

Right now I'm leaning towards taking subjects for Medical Micro and Pathology. I haven't done Path yet, but I'm absolutely loving histology right now (which I've heard is a good precursor to pathology subjects). Funny that though, considering histology was the subject I was least looking forward to this semester. But the lecturer/demonstrator is so good and the fact that he doesn't post anything on webct gives me more insentive to actually pay attention.

Other than that, I'm also considering the 3rd year BIOC subjects. ANAT (except cell biology)and PHPH are definite no-no's though.

I have some friends (none of whom went to UNSW), who always repeatedly told me STAY AWAY FROM HISTOLOGY AND EMBRYOLOGY!!! They were definatly righta bout embryology, did 2 weeks of that in intro Anat and it was hell! But histology is awesome. I could see how with an average lecturer and back when all the slides had to actually be made durring the lab it would be really borring though.
Still, phsyiology is my favourite. Learning how neurmuscular junctions function, mediation and suppression of certain synaptic receptors and all that stuff fascinates me.

 

[Rekkusu]

I have some friends (none of whom went to UNSW), who always repeatedly told me STAY AWAY FROM HISTOLOGY AND EMBRYOLOGY!!! They were definatly righta bout embryology, did 2 weeks of that in intro Anat and it was hell! But histology is awesome. I could see how with an average lecturer and back when all the slides had to actually be made durring the lab it would be really borring though.
Still, phsyiology is my favourite. Learning how neurmuscular junctions function, mediation and suppression of certain synaptic receptors and all that stuff fascinates me.

If you're more into the big picture, or what my nerdy friend says "Interested more in the forest than the trees", then Anatomy/Physiology is the way to go! Have you guys started with the cadevers yet? Unfortunately with BABS subjects we can never see these

Embryology - If you do well in ANAT2241, choose this subject, it is simply awesome! Not to mention you come out with a pretty guaranteed job. Many patients these days are becoming infertile, or have problems becoming fertile, or some patients (especially males) have had chemotherapy rendering their sperm infertile, so...they need embryologists to freeze their sperm and perform IVF surgery.

With donated or non-used embryos, they become extremely useful in terms of Stem Cell Research, which no doubt you've heard alot about in the news.

I only wished I did ANAT2241 back then....

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and St. Vincent's Private Hospital I heard is really good for this area.

PS So far Microbial genetics seems to be getting much better, same for Bacteria & Disease. Nonetheless its all rote learning.