Microbiology Ch 4

Use of light or electrons to magnify objects

used to draw conclusions about relatedness

used to ID bacteria without culturing, moving fluid with bacteria forced through opening & detects presence of bacteria by detecting difference in conductivity of cells & medium, can also be illuminated by a laser or with fluorescence

commercial system to separate & compare fatty acids, used in clinical & public health labs

manufactured for groups of medically important bacteria like the enterics, perform several biochemical tests simultaneously for identification in 4-24 hours, use numerical identification because each test assigned a number, can used computerized interpretation

Linnaeus did not know viruses existed so they are not included in original hierarchy, virologist classify viruses into families & genera, but higher taxa are poorly defined

Contains info on lab identification of prokaryotes

series of paired yes/no statements to efficiently identify organism

Comparison of nucleotide sequences

phages are specific for a particular host, use phage to determine if its host is present