4: Adventure of the Creosote

Positive gram stain and Cocci dipole cell morphology

Adventure of the Creosote (Larrea tridentata)
Fun fact: In Mexican culture, the Creosote is known as "The Governess."Another fun fact: The Creosote is not the most visually appealing plant to look at, but it is partially responsible for contributing to that wonderful "desert rain smell."
For the remainder of the semester, I will be working on a project that focuses on learning about the various types of bacteria present on Creosote bushes (Larrea tridentata) in urban and non-urban environments; convenience sampling was used as a result of limited access to creosote bushes. After a leaf sample was collected from a Creosote bush on the Phoenix College campus, the process of identifying microbes had begun. First, the leaf sample was mixed with Peptone water and vortexed for 20 seconds. After, I used the aseptic technique to inoculate a TSA plate with an isolation streak. Next, the TSA sample incubated for approximately twenty hours. Individual off-white, punctiform colonies were present and a Gram Stain test was performed; the bacteria tested positive for the gram stain and consisted of a cocci dipole cell morphology. The Catalase test was also positive for the catalase enzyme. After, a Glucose Fermentation test was also performed on the sample and is currently in the incubator.  Next steps for the sample are recording the results for the Glucose Fermentation test and following the next tests outlined in the identification guide.