Bacteria and their characteristics

• Abbreviations


  • BAP: Blood Agar Plate
  • CAP: Chocolate Agar Plate
  • M: Microscopy
  • CIN: Cefsulodin-irgasan-novobiocin
  • GS: Gram stain
  • BGA: Bordet-Gengou agar
  • BCYE: Buffered charcoal yeast extract
  • CAMP: Christie, Atkins, Munch-Petersen
  • EMB: Eosin Methylene Blue
  • CTBA: Cystine Tellurite Blood Agar
  • SIM: Sulfide Indole Motility
  • GSC: Gelatin Stab Culture
  • NA: Nutrient Agar
  • CCFA: Cycloserine-cefoxitin-fructose agar
• S. aureus

  • BAP: Golden yellow, B- hemolytic
  • MSA: Yellow colonies surrounded by Yellow Halo
• A. actinomyctemcomitans


  • Star shaped
• S. agalactiae


  • CAMP: Arrow head or bowtie shaped B-hemolysis
• C. hominis


  • BAP: pitting
  • Yeast extract: Rosette
• Viridians strep


  • BAP: alpha prime hemolysis
• E. corrodens


  • BAP: Pit/ corrode the agar
  • Sharp Bleach like Odor
• S. pneumoniae


  • Lancet/ dome shape
• Leuconostoc


  • M: Irregularly coccoid
• Kingella


  • Plump, Square end
• N. meningitidis


  • BAP: Bluish gray
  • CAP: Small tan mucoid
• Brucella


  • M: Sandy appearance
• N. sicca


  • Bread crumbs
• Bordetella pertusis


  • BGA: Mercury Drops
• M. catarrhalis


  • BAP: Hockey puck
• Pasteurella


  • M: Safety Pin
• E. coli


  • EMB: Greenish metallic sheen
• P. multocida


  • Mushroom Smell
• Salmonella


  • SSA: colorless with black center
• Legionella


  • BCYE: Rainbow color
• Shigella


  • SSA: colorless without black center
• L. pneumophila


  • BCYE: Blue Green and Glistening
• Y. pestis


  • M: plump rod with Bipolar body/Closed safety pin; Broth: stalactite pattern.
  • 5% BAP: Rough Cauliflower at 48hrs
• B. anthracis


  • M: Bamboo Fishing rod
  • BAP: Medussa head/ Beaten Egg white
  • Penicillin: String of Pearls
  • Gelatin medium: Inverted pine tree
• Y. enterocolitica


  • CIN: Bull's eye, dark red/ burgundy centers
• B. cereus


  • Bap: Feathery / Frosted Glass
• V. cholera


  • Rapid Darting, Shooting star Motility
• B. subtilis


  • BAP: Ground Glass/ Pigmen atoms (pink, yellow, orange/ brown)
• Aeromonas


  • CIN: Bull's eye
• Corynebacterium


  • M: Club-like
• Campylobacter


  • M: S-shaped rods; long Spirals/ Seagull Wing
  • Culture: Tailing Effect/ Runny Spreading
• C. pseudodiphthericum


  • M: parallel rows/ Palisades
• C. diphteriae


  • Pai's slant/ Loefller's serum agar: poached egg
• Helicobacter


  • M: Helical/ S-shaped
• C. jeikeium


  • M: Pleomorphic, Club shaped/ V-shaped
• H. influenzae


  • CAP: tan and mucoid
  • BAP: Drew drop
  • Mousy/ Bleach like odor
• C. ulcerans


  • CTBA: Brown Halo
• H. ducreyi


  • School of Fish
• C. pseudotuberculosis


  • CTBA: Black with Brown Halo
• H. parahaemolyticus


  • CAP: tan and dry