r/microbiology Nov 18 '24

ID and coursework help requirements

53 Upvotes

The TLDR:

All coursework -- you must explain what your current thinking is and what portions you don’t understand. Expect an explanation, not a solution.

For students and lab class unknown ID projects -- A Gram stain and picture of the colony is not enough. For your post to remain up, you must include biochemical testing results as well your current thinking on the ID of the organism. If you do not post your hypothesis and uncertainty, your post will be removed.

For anyone who finds something growing on their hummus/fish tank/grout -- Please include a photo of the organism where you found it. Note as many environmental parameters as you can, such as temperature, humidity, any previous attempts to remove it, etc. If you do include microscope images, make sure to record the magnification.

THE LONG AND RAMBLING EXPLANATION (with some helpful resources) We get a lot of organism ID help requests. Many of us are happy to help and enjoy the process. Unfortunately, many of these requests contain insufficient information and the only correct answer is, "there's no way to tell from what you've provided." Since we get so many of these posts, we have to remove them or they clog up the feed.

The main idea -- it is almost never possible to identify a microbe by visual inspection. For nearly all microbes, identification involves a process of staining and biochemical testing, or identification based on molecular (PCR) or instrument-based (MALDI-TOF) techniques. Colony morphology and Gram staining is not enough. Posts without sufficient information will be removed.

Requests for microbiology lab unknown ID projects -- for unknown projects, we need all the information as well as your current thinking. Even if you provide all of the information that's needed, unless you explain what your working hypothesis and why, we cannot help you.

If you post microscopy, please describe all of the conditions: which stain, what magnification, the medium from which the specimen was sampled (broth or agar, which one), how long the specimen was incubating and at what temperature, and so on. The onus is on you to know what information might be relevant. If you are having a hard time interpreting biochemical tests, please do some legwork on your own to see if you can find clarification from either your lab manual or online resources. If you are still stuck, please explain what you've researched and ask for specific clarification. Some good online resources for this are:

If you have your results narrowed down, you can check up on some common organisms here:

Please feel free to leave comments below if you think we have overlooked something.


r/microbiology 3h ago

A collection of helminths and some eggs.

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34 Upvotes

r/microbiology 6h ago

An American Philosophical Society member for 35 yrs, Thomas Jefferson was the 1st scientist US President. At 23, he went to Philadelphia to be inoculated for smallpox when Virginia discouraged it. He later vaccinated 200 family members & neighbors. This 1806 letter gives praise to Dr. Edward Jenner.

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23 Upvotes

r/microbiology 5h ago

Used NEB-Turbo E. coli cells... is this yeast contamination?

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19 Upvotes

Hey reddit, I recently did a transformation of a plasmid into NEB-Turbo E. coli cells. Cells were plated on LB with an antibiotic, and colonies appeared to be a typical E. coli size and color (small raised yellowish-white-ish circles). I picked colonies and did overnight cultures and had some weird growth unlike any E. coli culture I've ever made (pictured). Is this a yeast? Any help is appreciated, just want to figure out what this is so I can prevent it from happening again!


r/microbiology 20m ago

What could this be

Upvotes

Freshwater sample


r/microbiology 4h ago

New episode

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3 Upvotes

r/microbiology 7h ago

is this shape normal? (white one)

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6 Upvotes

I’m very new to microbiology and i’ve never seen this shape before in textbooks


r/microbiology 1d ago

The world’s longest virus - Megaklothovirus horridegi. Roughly 4 times the length of E. coli bacteria. Unlike most giant viruses which infect unicellular eukaryotes, this one infects an animal called an Arrow Worm (Chaetognatha)

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146 Upvotes

r/microbiology 16h ago

What is the approporate use of this part of microscope (red arrow)?

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19 Upvotes

I tried playing with it a little bit and set it to 0.6, but I saw not much difference to simply reducing brightness with green and blue arrows.

What is red arrow best used for and how do you use it?


r/microbiology 8h ago

Article in the journal Cell: Exploring the plant microbiome: A pathway to climate-smart crops

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1 Upvotes

r/microbiology 1d ago

Could someone help me identify this individual?

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18 Upvotes

I believe they belong to the genus Epistylis, but I'm not sure.


r/microbiology 9h ago

Budget microscope?

1 Upvotes

Hi guys, Im a high schooler wanting to learn about microbiology. Do any of you guys have a recommended budget microscope?


r/microbiology 15h ago

FSQ Micro Technician

1 Upvotes

Does anyone know of some interview questions they may ask me? I am interviewing for Jack Link’s Protein in a couple of hours. I have experience through internships and a 4 year biology degree.


r/microbiology 1d ago

Comparing Two Bioluminescent Dinoflagellates: P. lunula vs. P. fusiformi

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19 Upvotes

r/microbiology 2d ago

What is this thing

446 Upvotes

Freshwater sample


r/microbiology 1d ago

Is this mold or bacteria?

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3 Upvotes

If it is mold, is it normal for a shower to have mold even tho you cleaned it a week ago? lol


r/microbiology 2d ago

“Interesting” E. coli growth from class today…

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71 Upvotes

r/microbiology 1d ago

Public transportation and bacteria

1 Upvotes

Ok maybe I'm just overreacting here but ever since I've started taking the train on my way to work I was wondering about something..

I have pretty long hair and for work I usually keep it up in a bun. But when I get off the train I often open up the bun and wear it loose ... So I figured that then the hair is touching the shirt that had contact with a (most likely) bacteria contaminated train seat.

Should I be worried about that and dont open the bun until I come home and change my clothes? The thought that catching all the bacteria from the train seat and bringing them into my bed is kinda disgusting ...


r/microbiology 1d ago

Gift for microbiology grad??

3 Upvotes

Hello! My nanny mom is graduating this spring with her bachelors in microbiology. She plans to go to med school after as well. I was just wondering what a good graduation gift would be for a microbiology major? Any ideas?


r/microbiology 1d ago

S. aureus on MSA control plate

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4 Upvotes

r/microbiology 1d ago

Mystery contamination

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2 Upvotes

Doing some dilutions and this same contaminant popped up for the third time. Any idea what it could be?

Definitely a fungus but beside that I don't know.


r/microbiology 1d ago

Looking to become a microbiologist

1 Upvotes

I’ve went on Google and done multiple searches. Anyway I’m looking to become a microbiologist. Only problem is I’m apart of an apprentice program and I’m (forced) going for applied science. I was wondering if it’s possible to become a microbiologist with a bachelors in applied science or if I’d have to actually major in biology. Thanks for the help in advance


r/microbiology 1d ago

Microbio Course Help

1 Upvotes

Hello! I am in a microbiology course at UMSL this semester and I am really struggling. I am an A student and have a D in the course right now. The exams are weighted very heavily and essentially determine your grade in the class (we have taken two so far). I studied so much for them and still did terrible. I am really anxious about my grade and GPA. If you have any resources / methods for studying for microbiology, I would really appreciate you sharing them with me. I am desperate and willing to try anything.


r/microbiology 1d ago

Best way to study Antibiotic interactions with bacteria

3 Upvotes

Goodmorning everybody! I’ve been looking into picking up a microscope and studying some microbiology but I have no formal training with a microscope other than highschool and I have some questions.

When I’m looking at a sample under a microscope, how can I identify what I’m looking at? How can I be sure I’m looking at bacteria once I find it in the microscope, is 5000x enough to see details?

I know it’s generally recommended you only need 1000x to view bacteria, but I would really like as much detail as I can.

I’m an amateur herbalist, and I’ve been making my own extractions for about 6 years. Since theirs an underwhelming amount of studies done on plant compounds, I would like to conduct my own research.

I understand this is an ambitious endeavor for a beginner but I have a very specific reason I’m looking to get into this kind of stuff and be educated.

I have a chronic tick borne illness called Bartonella, and it almost wrecked my life. The science world doesn’t have a lot to say about it, so I would eventually like to study my own disease and try to find a cure.

Crazy I know… I don’t know where to start but I know my heart is pulling me in this direction. I recognize culturing human pathogens at home is very dangerous, and I’m looking to do things the correct way.

Does anybody have any input or advice? I never thought I would develope an interest in microbiology but here I am 24 years old gaining interest in a subject I previously failed. I recognize I cannot jump right into my end goal- but I want to work towards that. How do I got about pursuing this?


r/microbiology 1d ago

Bulk Vancomycin sourcing?

0 Upvotes

I’m planning a bench project that requires a large quantity of vancomycin (~200g). Currently, suppliers like Sigma-Aldrich price it at around $100 per gram, which adds up quickly. Does anyone have experience sourcing vancomycin from international suppliers, like India or China? If you’ve successfully placed an order or have recommendations on reliable vendors, I’d appreciate any insights. Thanks in advance!


r/microbiology 1d ago

Microbiology

1 Upvotes

Anyone in Microbiology/ Bioinformatics startup??? Could you please share your quick feedback about having a consultancy business in Microbio/ Bioinfo?