Question

you are working in a microbiology diagnostic laboratory. You received a gram-positive bacillus. You performed the Aerotolerance test on this bacterium. What is your identification on this bacterium?

Answer 1

Anaerobic bacteria can be identified by growing them in test tubes of thioglycollate broth:
1: Obligate aerobes need oxygen because they cannot ferment or respire anaerobically. They gather at the top of the tube where the oxygen concentration is highest.
2: Obligate anaerobes are poisoned by oxygen, so they gather at the bottom of the tube where the oxygen concentration is lowest.
3: Facultative anaerobes can grow with or without oxygen because they can metabolise energy aerobically or anaerobically. They gather mostly at the top because aerobic respiration generates more ATP than either fermentation or anaerobic respiration.
4: Microaerophiles need oxygen because they cannot ferment or respire anaerobically. However, they are poisoned by high concentrations of oxygen. They gather in the upper part of the test tube but not the very top.
5: Aerotolerant organisms do not require oxygen as they metabolise energy anaerobically. Unlike obligate anaerobes however, they are not poisoned by oxygen. They can be found evenly spread throughout the test tube.

Eg: Streptococcus mutans

Most probably the bacteria is:

Gram-positive rods non spore forming and anaerobic :

Eubacterium
Bifidobacterium
Lactobacillus
Propionibacterium

Gram-positive rods spore forming and anaerobic:

Clostridium tetani

Clostridium perfringens

Clostridium botulinum