Workshop 2: MICROBIAL GROWTH

Answer the following questions:

1. At what pH do most bacteria grow best?

2. On the basis of growth range of temperature, what are the 3 main groups in which bacteria
are classified?

3. Describe the five groups of bacteria based on their oxygen requirements.

4. Why can high concentrations of salt or sugar be used to preserve food?

5. Explain how chemically defined media is different from complex media.

6. What is the reducing media? What type of bacterial can be cultured using this media?

7. For what purpose do differential & selective media are used? Name the commonly used
differential media.

8. What is the method commonly used to obtain pure culture?

Case study (work in a group of 5-6 students)

Emma is a research assistant in a pharmaceutical company and she has recently joined a research
team investigating the efficacy of a novel antibiotics. Prior to animal studies and consequential
clinical trials they plan to test the effects of antibiotics on S. aureu in the laboratory. Emma has
been assigned to culture S. aureus cells for the experiment.

1. Emma starts to prepare the culture media. She is aware of the macronutrient requirement
and they are often listed as CHONPS (these are the chemical requirements required for cell
growth). What does each of these letters stand for? Explain why they are needed by bacteria.

2. She decides to start with six (6) S. aureus cells in a petri dish. If S. aureus has a generation
time of 60 minutes, how many cells would be found in the petri dish after five hours?

3. Explain how those bacterial cells multiple. In your understanding, how efficient is this mode
of reproduction compared with human reproduction?

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4. Draw a typical bacterial growth curve in the laboratory. Label and describe each of the four
phases.

5. In order to achieve the best outcome, the antibiotics should be applied at what stage of
the growth phase? Why?