Lab Practicum Review
1. Identify the bacterial organelle shown. What is its function? Give the gram reaction.
- Organelle: Capsule.
- Function: Cytotoxic.
- Gram reaction: Indeterminate because it’s not a gram stain.
2. Name the plant pathogen shown. What is its significance?
- Pathogen: Claviceps purpurea.
- Significance? Potent hallucinogen used in religious ceremonies / Causes ergotism / Predisposes to gas gangrene (pick one of these).
3. Liver biopsy of a marine recently returned from Afghanistan. Identify the organism genus/species, disease and vector.
- Organism. Leishmania Donovanii.
- Disease. Leishmaniasis / Dum dum fever / kala-azar
- Vector: Brown Sand Fly Vector
4. Monogamous female with a week long history of a foul smelling creamy discharge. Identity? Give the stage. How is it acquired?
- Identity: Trichomonas Vaginalis
- Stage: Trophozoite; No cyst stage, also motile due to presence of flagella.
- Acquisition: Sexual Transmission
5. Blood smear of a native from Sudan with a 3 week history of recurring fever. Give the organism genus/species and vector.
- Plasmodium malariae
- Disease: Malaria
- Vector: Female anopheles mosquito.
6. Name the parasitic flatworm shown. Give the common name and where in the world is this expected to be found.
- Identity: Clonorchis Sinensis.
- Where is this found? Asia (EE’s backyard)
- Common name: Asian Liver Fluke
7. Name the Structure shown, name the organism from where this is taken and how is it typically acquired?
- Scolex structure.
- Organism: Taenia solium.
- From undercooked pork/wild game
8. Name the colonargea shown. What stage is it? What is its significance?
- Colonargea volvox.
- Stage: Zygospore.
- Significance? Important evolutionary basis for multicellularity.
9. Identify the common fungus shown. Give the stage. Significance?
- Fungus: Rhizopus spore
- Stage: Zygospore stage.
- Significance: Opportunistic mycosis in compromised host.
10. Name the common environmental fungus shown. What is its significance?
- Fungus: Aspergillus.
- Significance: Causes lung/ear infections (black ear disease; very common in farmers) / Aphylatoxin is produced. opportunistic mycosis in compromised host.
11. Found in normal flora in gut.
- Candida albicans.
- Fungal vaginitis (yeast infection); diaper rash; esaphagitis in AIDS patients.
12. Name the fungus shown, what is its significance?
- Penicillium
- Rarely associated with infection.
13. Name the parasitic flatworm, give the common name, how is it acquired?
- Genus/species: Fasciola hepatica
- Common name: Sheep liver fluke
- Acquired by contaminated game.
14. Blood smear of a native from wherever. Name the organism, vector and disease.
- Trypanosoma organism
- African sleeping sickness
- Vector: tse-tse fly.
15. Gram stain of a 25 year old promiscuous male who thinks only wimps wear condoms.
- Neisseria Gonorrhea.
- Diasese: Gonorrhea / The Clap / French toilet
- Transmission: STD
16. Name the bacterial organelle show. Give the function. Suggest the identity based on the characteristic morphology.
- Organelle: Flagella
- Function: Motility
- Organism: Proteus Vulgaris
17. Trichrome stain of a volunteer who returned from Ecuador with bloody diarrhea. Identify the organism, give the stage, associated disease and how is it acquired.
- Organism: Entamoeba Histolytica
- Stage: Trophozoite
- Disease: Amebiasis
- Acquisition: Fecal contaminated water.
18. Muscle biopsy from a football player fed smoked mountain lion by his coach. Name the organism, disease and how is this acquired.
- Organism: Trichinella Spiralis
- Disease: Trichinosis
- Acquired: Contaminated/undercooked meat/game
19. Trichrome stain of a 2 year child who is not potty trained with foul smelling, explosive diarrhea. Give the organism, stage, disease and acquisition.
- Organism: Giardia lamblia
- Stage: Cyst because it has four nuclei
- Disease: Giardiasis (Beaver fever)
- Acquisition: fecal contaminated water.
20. Name the bacterial organelle shown taken from a facultative bacteria. Give the gram reaction and how do you know this.
- Organelle: Endospore.
- Gram reaction: Positive because only gram positive bacteria form spores.
- Likely identity: Bacillus
21. Identify the bacterial structure. Suggest the likely identity since this is from an obligate anaerobe.
- Organelle: Endospore.
- Gram reaction: Positive
- Organism: Clorstridium perfringens.
22. A gram positive, obligate anaerobic organism was isolated from the necrotic tissue of this truck driver. Identify the organism, diagnose the disease.
- Organism: C. perfringens.
- Disease: Gas gangrene
23. Fingers and back of a hairdresser 2 days after surgery from a broken hip. A gram positive, coagulase positive, catalase positive organism was isolated from the blood. Identify the organism, diagnose the disease, what’s unusual if it is?
- Organism: S. aureus.
- Disease: Post operative toxic shock.
- This is common in women and unusual in men.
23. Trichrome stain from 2 year old with explosive diarrhea. (compare this with #19!)
- Organism: Giardia lamblia.
- Stage: Trophozoite
- Disease: Giardiasis (Beaver fever)
- Acquisition: Fecal contaminated water
24. Name the pattern hemolysis show and one organism given this pattern.
- Hemolysis: Beta.
- Organisms: C. perfringens / S. aureus. / S. agalactiae / Strep pyogenes.

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