Biol-2421.1002
Microbiology
Summer-II Semester 2005
Terry A. Austin
MathBioscience Bldg # 1145
Phone: (254) 298-8405
Or 800-460-4636
Email: taaustin@templejc.edu
Required Materials
 Text: Microbiology: An Introduction Tortora, Funke & Case 8th ed.
 Lab book: Microbiology Laboratory Theory and Application, Leboffe & Pierce
(NOT used, you must turn in ORIGINAL lab reports from this book)
 eInstruction CPS Response Pad – for attendance, review, quiz & exam (MUST
be purchased within first week of class)
CPS class key for registration of your remote is y10689m66 (see instruction sheet for
further details)
Students will be evaluated on the following:
5 general exams 100 points each (low grade dropped)
Lab Grade
= 400 points
= 200 points
Lab grade includes:
Student’s lab exercises
Students unknown write-up
Identification of two unknown microbes
= 100 points
= 50 points
= 50 points
TOTAL
= 600 points
Should a student miss an exam for any reason that is obviously the lowest grade and will
be the dropped grade. No makeup exams will be given for any reason.
Since the lecture and laboratory are combined into one course the general exams will be a
combination of lecture and laboratory questions.
Grading System: Semester grades will be based on the following formula
students actual test & lab points / total points available X 100 = Earned %
90% to 100% = A
80% to 89% = B
70% to 79% = C
60% to 69% = D
below 59% = F
Amending of grades: No curve is implied or promised on any exam. Grades may be
curved at the instructor’s discretion by one of two methods. First method: addition of
sufficient points to raise the class average (generally, to 70%). Second method: addition
of sufficient points to raise highest grade to a higher percentage (generally 100%).
Should a curve be applied, the same number of points will be added to each student and
no additional points for individual students will be considered under any circumstances.
Attendance: school policy states that a student with 3.5 hours of absences in a course
(essentially 2 class meetings) will be dropped from the course and must be readmitted.
See the Student Handbook Attendance Policy.
Instructor/Student contact: Especially during summer, communication for this class
may become critical. Each student should send me an email during the first week of
class with their contact information. Please include in this email your name (as listed by
the registrar, along with your ‘preferred name’ if different), your primary email address,
your phone number(s) should you choose to share those. I would also like you to
include a brief paragraph about why you are taking microbiology and what you hope to
get from this class (prerequisite for an academic program, etc. better understanding of
what goes in your kids’ mouths etc). From this email I will build a class email list that I
will use to send out general information to the class. I will announce lab availability on
weekends, remind you of upcoming tests, be available to answer questions regarding
upcoming exams etc. Be aware that if an email arrives asking a question about
something on an exam I may reply not only to the questioner but to the entire class.
Cheating & plagiarism will not be tolerated in any form. Students caught cheating on
an exam or an assignment will receive a failing grade for that exam/assignment. A
failing grade received for cheating is NOT eligible to ‘drop’ as a low grade but will count
toward the student’s final course grade. Repeat offenses may result in the offender being
dropped from the course with failing grade.
Classroom behavior: Students are expected to behave in a manner conducive to a
productive study environment for the classroom. Refer to section on ‘Disruptive
Behavior’ in the student handbook.
Cell phones and pagers are to be TURNED OFF at all times while class is in session,
this ban includes ‘silent’ operations such as text messaging. In emergency situations you
may turn cell phones/pagers on in vibrate mode only (e.g. family member in hospital, late
term pregnancy of spouse etc). In such circumstances, please notify your instructor
before class.
You are enrolled in a science course which makes extensive use of lab equipment,
models, specimens and other school/departmental property. You may not, under any
circumstances take any of this property from the classroom or laboratory where it is
meant to be used. Doing so interferes with the rights of other students to access these
materials. Students found guilty of such acts will be reported to campus security.
Punishment appropriate to the offense will be taken.
Students are responsible for all assigned text readings, lecture and laboratory materials.
Approximate Course Outline
Chapters 1-3
Exam 1
Chapters 4-5
Exam 2
Chapters 6-9
Exam 3
Chapters 10-13
Exam 4
Chapters 14-17
Final Exam (Not Comprehensive)
Labs to be covered (not necessarily in this order) will include – (additional labs may be
added as time & subject matter permit/require)
TOPIC
Microorganism Ubiquity
Culture Characteristics
Growth Patterns In Broth
UV Radiation
Hand Scrubbing
Light Microscope
Negative Stains
Gram Stains
Acid Fast Stains
EXERCISE
2-1
2-2
2-3
2-11
2-13
3-1
3-5
3-6
3-7
TOPIC
Spore Stains
Streak Plate Isolation
Phenol Red Broth
Catalase
Oxidase
Citrate
Gelatinase
SIM
Antibiotic Sensitivity
The “5-Second Rule”
EXERCISE
3-9
4-1
5-2
5-5
5-6
5-8
5-17
5-20
Handout
Handout
Students’ lab notebook should include lab reports from Leboffe & Pierce lab book. For
each lab exercise, a cover sheet should be prepared with a brief description of
procedure(s) performed including materials/organisms used (unless otherwise obviously
stated in lab report). Objective of the lab exercise should be stated. Individual or class
data should be recorded in charts or tables provided in the lab report. Assigned questions
should be answered. Results, if appropriate should be stated. Your lab book should be
arranged in NUMERICAL ORDER even though we will not necessarily perform the labs
in that order.
EXAMPLE COVER SHEET: (you may copy this information for the first lab)
LAB TITLE: Microorganism Ubiquity
PURPOSE: To observe environmental microbes from various sources. Noting growth at
different incubation temperatures, colony variations. Control plates will be used to verify
sterility (non-biased status) of media.
MEDIA/MATERIALS: Trypticase Soy Agar (TSA) plates, swabs
ORGANISMS: environmental samples, (no cultured, identified organisms used)
LAB REFERENCE: Leboffe & Pierce Exercise 2-1 (include data sheets from lab)
Identification of Unknowns.
At a suitable point we will begin working on your unknown organisms. Each student will
receive a mixture containing one Gram positive and one Gram negative organism in a
single broth. Your tasks will be to first isolate each of these two organisms and then to
correctly identify each. While much of the rest of the lab work done through the
semester is done as a group effort this project is entirely an individual effort. Your
unknown identification is expected to be done on your own without ‘group effort’.
Please be aware that this portion of the lab work will likely require lab time on your own
outside regular class time. In large part, with careful planning you have some control
over when you will need to set up or check cultures and tests but the bacteria grow at
their own rate beyond the control of you or your instructor. In order to complete the
Microbiology Unknown project you may have to spend some evening/weekend time in
the lab. Available times will be announced prior to each weekend.
In addition to the regular lab notebook students will submit an Unknown Report: a
description of isolating and identifying your unknowns. The format of this report should
be ‘Journal style’. Each days work should be noted (date & time) with a description of
what procedures are performed, media, tests & chemicals used. It is NOT SUFFICIENT
to simply describe WHAT you did, you should also describe WHY particular tests were
performed. A flow chart indicating progress through identification may prove helpful in
organizing this section of the lab book. Finally, Identify your unknowns! Note: partial
credit may be given in some cases for unknown organisms that are incorrectly identified.
This partial credit will be subject to judgment is at instructor and will be based on
procedures and logic applied in the testing procedures. For this reason it is in your best
interest to document your work!
Students are ENCOURAGED to present identification for confirmation prior to writing
unknown report.
If your identification is correct you are ready to complete your report.
An incorrect identification will cost you 5 points from the unknown identification but you
may return to testing your organism. While this 5 point penalty may seem a little unfair it
is far better than loosing 25 points for an incorrectly identified organism. Students who
fail to isolate an unknown organism from the mixed culture may ‘buy’ a pure culture for
10 points.