We Organism B And Enterobacter Aerogenes

ELVIS (Extraterrestrial Landing Vehicle Integrated Sampler) was placed on Mars to collect soil samples from the surface of the planet. The scientist’s goal, when ELVIS was launched, was to obtain soil samples from the planet that contained microbes distinguishable from those on Earth. However, when ELVIS returned home it was terribly damaged. The suit material and skin of ELVIS had degraded during the mission. Our goal as microbiologists was to determine if the microbes present in the soil samples were responsible for the degradation of the polyurethane in ELVIS. Our hypothesis states that the degradation of polyurethane products on ELVIS is due to the microorganisms that are present in the Mars soil samples that were collected. We …show more content…
E. aerogenes has a BSL level of 1 but can cause urinary tract infections and bacteremia (Dworkin et al., 2006). It is a motile bacteria that can move around if media allows (Smalley and Kaltz, 2003). The typical appearance of E. aerogenes on complex media is round medium colonies that are slightly raised or flat with irregular margins (Dworkin et al., 2006). On MacConkey’s agar, E. aerogenes will grow, as it is gram negative, and will appear pink as it can metabolize lactose; in blood agar it will grow using gamma hemolysis, causing no change to its color or lysing the blood cells on the plate (Bergey et al., 1957). E. aerogenes can grow in both glucose minimal media and Simmons citrate agar, showing that it can use glucose and citrate, respectively, as its only carbon source (Lee et al., 1991). It can successfully ferment glucose and lactose with both acid and gas. E. aerogenes is halotolerant with NaCl benefitting growth until 3% NaCl. It grows optimally at 30 degrees Celsius but will grow fully from 30-37 degrees Celsius. The catalase enzyme is present but the oxidase enzyme is absent. E. aerogenes is a facultative anaerobe. (Smalley and Kaltz,