Introduction For clinical and environmental microbiologists, the rapid and accurate identification of unknown bacteria can sometimes mean the difference between life and death. Fortunately, microbiologists have a variety of different tools at their disposal to accomplish these tasks. In the field of microbiology, there are two primary methods employed in the identification of bacterial unknowns: biochemical testing and molecular analysis. While both methods are used frequently and to much success, there is an ever-increasing need for scientists and healthcare providers to perform larger volumes of diagnostic tests more quickly and more accurately [CITATION 1]. As such, it is important for researchers to understand the benefits and shortcomings of either style of identification to best identify bacteria in a fast and practical manner. To better illustrate the various facets of either method of identification, our class was tasked with the identification of both an unknown fecal coliform and a known control using a series of biochemical and molecular tests. This was done to give students a better understanding of the tests used in bacterial identification, as well as to demonstrate the procedures involved and the pros and cons of either method. …show more content…
However, certain strains of E. coli are of serious concern to the medical community due to its capability for opportunistic infection leading to a wide variety of severe gastrointestinal diseases [CITATION 2]. The bacterial unknown in this experiment was identified as Staphylococcus aureus, a gram-positive coccus frequently found in the mucous membranes and skin of humans [CITATION 3]. S. aureus is also of high concern to the medical community due to its capability for opportunistic infection and growing antibiotic resistance [CITATION