Analysis Of Klebsiella Pneumoniae

Bacterial staining protocols allow for the visualization of the cells morphology and identifying characteristics. In this experiment, Klebsiella Pneumoniae was stained in order to determine the strains shape, size, arrangement and motility. A methylene blue simple stain and negative stain allowed for the shape, size and arrangement of the cells to be observed. The hanging drop test observed how the bacterium moved. The results from the stains revealed that the Klebsiella Pneumoniae was rod-shaped and encapsulated. The individual cells also were not clustered together. The purpose of this experiment was to use staining techniques to characterize a given bacterium sample. All of the stains were successful, and were accurate compared to the actual …show more content…
Staining techniques allow for microorganism size, shape, motility and proximate arrangement to be assessed. These characteristics are important in identifying diseases and differentiating cells to create a comparative view of different microorganisms. There are several staining procedures that exist, however this lab focuses on the hanging drop test, simple stain and negative stain protocol. The hanging drop test allows for the observation of motility while the organism is living. A simple stain, more specifically a methylene blue stain is used for determining morphology. The presence of negatively charged molecules in the cell causes the staining to adhere. Positively charged dye attracts to negatively charged particles found within a cell. A negative stain is a very interesting stain because it colors the background of a sample to identify the presence, shape and arrangement of the cells. Nigrosin, an acidic compound used in the stain, readily gives up a hydrogen ion and becomes negatively charged. This contradicts with the surface of most bacterial cells, which is negatively charged. Thus the like charges repel each other and the surrounding glass is solely stained. When observed, the bacteria appear as clear spots against a dark background. The advantage of using these staining protocol call is that are relatively simple and quick to perform and provide useful characterizing …show more content…
The simple stain was used to determine the cells shape and arrangement. The simple stain revealed that the bacteria was rod shaped with a surrounding capsule and non-compact arrangement. Figure 2 was the negative stain of the same bacteria. The negative stain is also a stain that allows for the visualization of a bacteria’s cell shape, size and arrangement, however this stain differs from the simple stain. The simple stain stains the actual cells, but in contrast a negative stain stains the background, leaving the cells untouched but visible. Figure 2 reveals the same shape and arrangement as the simple stain, where the cells are rod shaped and in a non-clustered formation. The hanging drop test was used to determine if the Klebsiella bacteria mobile. Though no photograph is present, the hanging drop test did reveal that the bacterium was a non-motile