CLINICAL LAB SCIENEC

CHAPTER 15: MICROBIOLOGY 399
Summary
Clinical microbiology is a valuable component of the clinical laboratory, regardless
of the lab’s size. Although identification of organisms is more sophisticated
today, the underlying principles are the same. The microbiologist and the students
performing basic microbiological procedures must practice safety for themselves
as a primary responsibility. The microbiology student must learn about
the basic equipment and supplies required for performing basic procedures, and
how to safely store and use these supplies and equipment. A number of media
are used for the initial culturing of microorganisms, and each is designed for a
specific purpose. Following the inoculation of the appropriate media based on
the source of the culture, growth from the media will be stained and evaluated
microscopically. Then, certain chemical reactions will be performed to further
differentiate the type of organism to be identified. The next step may be that
of performing antibiotic sensitivity testing to determine the antimicrobial agent
that would be most effective in treating the infection. Equally important as handling
samples carefully and avoiding becoming contaminated or contaminating
the culture itself by careless handling, the wastes, which are most infectious in
nature, require proper handling for disposal.
Review Questions
1. What is required for bacteria to grow before they can be identified?
2. After growing colonies of bacteria, what is the next step to identifying the
organism?
3. What discovery gave a clue that microscopic organisms are present in almost
all areas of our lives?
4. What is meant by bacterial susceptibility or sensitivity testing?
5. What is meant by antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria?
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