Fall 23 Final Exam Study Guide: Microbiology for Health Professionals
• Specimen Collection
o When is the best time to collect a specimen for culture?
o Sterile containers vs nonsterile containers
o What information is needed when labeling a specimen?
o Most common source of contamination and how contamination usually come about in these samples in a hospital setting.
• Media and Biochemical Tests: BAP, MAC, indole, TSI, coagulase
o Know the difference between nonselective, selective, and differential media.
o Explain how the appropriate media is chosen when plating specimens.
o Whether plates are nonselective, selective, and differential as well as what they are selective/differential for
o Know how to determine between a positive and negative result when preforming a biochemical test.
o How each bacterium we used in class responds/looks on different plates and biochemical tests
• Streaking for isolation
o Explain the purpose of streaking for isolation.
• Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing
o What the Kirby Bauer Test is and how it demonstrated antibiotic Susceptibility,
o How you would choose an antibiotic to treat an infection when considering the Kirby Bauer test results
o Ways to prevent antibiotics resistance: finishing the entire prescription of antibiotics, not sharing antibiotics with others, only prescribing during an infection (seek professionals/don’t self-medicate and share), proper food prep, learning about antibiotic resistance and advocacy/teaching others
• Case Study
o Be able to identify the following organism when given the growth on media and biochemical test results:
▪ E. coli
▪ P. vulgaris
▪ K. pneumoniae
▪ Shigella sp
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