Assignment: Techniques for Identifying Microbes Case Study

Exercise 1

In the area where WHO will assign you, you will need to set up a field lab to investigate outbreaks. You will need to be able to identify the causal microbes in order to decide how to handle the outbreak. Discuss what do you need to know prior to going to the WHO site about techniques for identifying microbes?

Exercise 2

– Conduct an Internet or library search for information on gram stains, when they are used and what they show.

– Design and submit a concept map on what you have learned. It should include concepts and connections between concepts including:

1. Microbiology testing techniques
2. Types of microbes identified by each techniques

Exercise 3

Activity 1:Diagnosing Ebola – Laboratory Tests

Diagnosing Ebola is often difficult in the early stage, 2 -3 days after becoming infected, because the symptoms are the same as seen in other diseases of the area such as malaria. Diagnosis through testing is determine by a timeline of infection. Make a timeline graphic that shows how Ebola is diagnosed by tests. You will need to do research. You can complete this activity individually or with a team. Make the timeline graphic with pictures and descriptions.

Activity 2: Virtual Lab Gram Stain

Complete the 

Activity 3: Virtual Lab Bacteriology

Complete the virtual Gram Stain

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Streak Plate
                                       2. Differential Media
                                       3. Biochemical Tests
                                       4. Antimicrobial Susceptbility

Activity 4: Case Study

Complete the Case Study: e

First, Download the case study.

Second, Work through the case, answering all questions.

Microorganisms have always been extremely important for human life and bacteria, yeasts and molds have been known for both positive and negative reasons. Just like in the past, as it is now, they are inevitably associated with biotechnology, food sciences, medicine, genetic engineering, and other fields of life. On one hand, they are used for their unique features which enable the production of antibiotics, hormones, amino acids, and other therapeutic compounds, and also production of food and food-related products, as well as decomposition of components such as lignocellulosic biomass for second-generation ethanol or biogas [1]. At the same time, selected genetic features and biochemical abilities of microorganisms make them dangerous for industry (food spoilage) as well as human health [2]. In fact, it is estimated that approximately 1400 pathogens can cause human diseases. Pathogenic bacteria alone are etiological agents of 350 million cases of foodborne diseases [3]. In the United States alone, 48 million foodborne illnesses occur annually, which led to approximately 128,000 hospitalizations and 3000 deaths. Poor water hygiene can be a cause of 1.7 million deaths a year worldwide, and nine of 10 deaths are in children and virtually all of the deaths are in developing countries. Furthermore, the majority of the pathogens responsible for these diseases and deaths includes Campylobacter jejuni, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Shigella spp. and Vibrio cholerae, Aeromonas spp., enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis, Clostridium difficile as well as Cryptosporidium parvum [4].

Two factors determine the potential use of microorganisms in biotechnological processes, and also the pathogenicity of other strains are their genetic features and biochemical abilities. In the near future, industrial application as well as treatment of infection, will be possible after characterization, identification, and following taxonomic classification of the biological material. It is necessary to emphasize that taxonomy and systematics, very often used interchangeably, are in fact two different terms. Although systematics deals with the diversity of organisms, relationships, and possible interactions, taxonomy is a classification of organisms in a hierarchical structure of homogeneous groups that consist of descendants of the nearest common ancestor. Despite a high degree of phenotypic similarity, every assemblage of an individual shows some degree of phenotypic diversity due to genotypic variation. The greater the differences at the genetic level, the farther the related organisms are [1]. Commonly known and used examples of hierarchical classification are the kingdom, division, class, family, genus, species, and finally, strain. Research works in the field of classification, systematics, and identification of microorganisms are interconnected and have an impact on each other. Accurate identification affects taxonomic classification of microorganisms as well as their systematics, and vice versa. Therefore, the broader the research aimed at the characterization of an individual microorganism, the more precise its identification, and thus the classification and systematics [1]. Accordingly, the “polyphasic” methodology is centered on morphological and biochemical data complemented with molecular techniques data. The combination of the classical approach together with 16S rRNA genes, molecular fingerprinting techniques, and/or other molecular markers is considered an extremely important foundation for the identification and classification of microbes [2].

The accurate identification of microbes is essential for scientists involved in many areas of applied research and industry which ranges from clinical microbiology to food production. There are many criteria for the division of the abundance of methods used in the area of the identification of microorganism, however, generally they can be assigned to direct and indirect techniques

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation

Welcome to class

Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to

I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.

Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted.

If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations.

Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.

Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.

I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!

Hi Class,

Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Important information on Writing a Discussion Question

• Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
• There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
• Include in-text citations in your response
• Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
• Follow APA-7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor

• A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
• Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
• Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
• Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
• Follow APA 7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

• Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
• Here are some helpful links
• The is a great resource