microbiology lab report
Paper details:
General Information:
The lab report will be graded on content as well as spelling, grammar, punctuation, and organization.
Sections of the Unknown Lab Report:
Title
Unknown Lab report
Introduction
This section introduces the reader to the study and why the study was done. This should only be a few sentences
long.
For example: “There are many reasons for identifying an unknown bacterium. The reasons range from…[explain
2-3 reasons why you may want to identify an unknown bacterium]. This study was done by applying all of the
methods that have been learned in the microbiology laboratory class for the identification of an unknown
bacterium.”
Materials and Methods
This is where the details of the study are listed. Where did the specimen come from and what methods were
used to identify it? Be specific but do not rewrite the lab manual. One way is to mention the names of the
materials used and reference the lab manual or notes for the procedure or method and elaborate when
necessary. It is NOT necessary to write out the methods in detail, since this lab report is for the identification of
an unknown bacterium and the methods are explained in detail in the lab handouts.
Results
This is where the results are summarized. The method results should be in a table format (see examples below).
A short paragraph explaining how the results are presented can be included.
Example 1: Table 1: Biochemical Test Results
Test Purpose Reagents Observations Results
Gram Stain To determine the Gram rxn
of the bacterium
Crystal violet,
iodine, alcohol,
safranin
Pink rods Gram negative rods
Oxidase test To determine if the
bacterium performed
Hydrogen
Peroxide
bubbles Positive oxidase test
1511
Microbiology 020 Unknown Lab Report Fall 2015
Dr Kareen Martin
aerobic respiration
Glucose
fermentation
To determine the ability of
the bacterium to ferment a
specific carbohydrate
None Color change
from red to
yellow
Positive glucose
fermenter
Sucrose
fermentation
To determine the ability of
the bacterium to ferment a
specific carbohydrate
None Color change
from red to
yellow
Positive surcose
fermenter
Etc…..
Discussion/Conclusion
This section interprets the meaning of the results. The following questions should be answered here:
How did the test results lead to identification?
Was it the correct identification? If not, why not?
What problems were encountered?
This is also where background information on the organisms (environment preferred, pathogenicity, etc.) that
were identified is mentioned.
Example of a discussion: After several differential tests, it was concluded that unknown G was Escherichia coli.
After performing the Gram stain to determine that the unknown was a Gram negative rod, the organism was
grown on a TSA slant for use in inoculating the rest of the biochemical tests. All of the biochemical tests worked
well except for the indole test. It gave a false negative result at first. This was determined since it was inconsistent
with the rest of the result. The TA suggested that the test be repeated and it was repeated. The repeated test
gave a positive result, consistent with the other data. Therefore it was concluded that the unknown was
Escherichia coli. THIS CAN BE ELABORATED MORE FOR EACH TEST.
E. coli is in the Enterobacteriaceae family. It is typically found in the human intestines, as well as other animals. It
can cause disease in the right host. THE REST OF THIS INFORMATION SHOULD BE RESEARCHED FROM
THE TEXTBOOK, INTERNET OR OTHER MICROBIOLOGY RESOURCES.
References
The minimum number of references is 3, which can include the lab manual and textbook. References may NOT
include Wikipedia. References should be listed in APA format (http://www.wooster.edu/psychology/apa-crib.html
and http://citationmachine.net ) and in-text citations should be used where appropriate. Laboratory notes should
be referenced as such:
Bottoms, C., & Cain, D. (2006). Microbiology laboratory notes. 1 ed. Plano, TX: Collin County Community College.
