A Complete Guide to Microbial Identification

Posted by Anthony Lewis on December 9th, 2021

Certain microbes make our life complex. Due to their widespread occurrence in the environment, it is very tough to control them. Identification of bacteria, yeast, or filamentous fungi to the species level is somewhat necessary to check their presence and growth. This is why Microbial Lab Testing is in high demand today.

With the species-level identification, we can differentiate between two species that arise from the same genus, which is often necessary in the treatment of infectious diseases. Let\'s say, the bacterial genus Yersinia has about 15 species and some of them contribute to forming a part of the normal human microflora; however, others are hazardous pathogens and need medical treatment.

Before we look into identification, let\'s outline a few of the primary applications of right microbial identification:

Healthcare - Quick and precise identification of microbes is necessary for timely diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

Epidemiology - It is important to track and trace the microbes and new isolates that outbreak disease.

Pharmaceutical industry - Microorganisms are potential threats to sterility. Identifying them accurately is considered a good manufacturing practice requirement when it comes to the pharmaceutical industry.

You must be aware of some traditional methods used for identifying microorganisms. Now, let\'s discuss a few modern methods for identifying microbes -

Using Dipslide - The dipslide is a method for detecting the presence of microorganisms. Bacteria and fungi test kit prepared by an eminent microbial lab are quite useful for determining bacterial and fungal counts in a fast and simple approach. Each side of the dipslide is coated with a unique medium; one side is for bacteria and the other for fungi.  

The test kit is prepared by eminent microbiologists upon heavy research powered by modern technologies and equipment. The microbiologists at the microbial lab would also guide you how to use the test kit effectively. You can order the products that are available online all the time.

Using PCR - PCR means polymerase chain reaction. PCR, including Real-Time PCR, is one of the most popular molecular techniques used for identifying microbes. With the test, one can detect and identify microbial species directly from clinical samples in no time.

There are various PCR-based methods available today. Most include a universal set of PCR primers that track bacterial/fungal samples by arranging the PCR Amplicons. The 16S ribosomal RNA gene is regarded as the gold-standard sequence for bacterial identification through PCR, while the Internal Transcribed Spacer region is the main barcode marker for fungal species.

Through Microarray - Microarrays are a flexible tool used for the detection and discrimination of different microbial samples on one slide. The technique is fast since speed plays a big role in clinical settings for diagnosis and the timely initiation of appropriate antimicrobial treatment.

The microbial identification through Microarray depends on the hybridization of pre-amplified microbe-based DNA sequences to arrayed species-specific oligonucleotide probes. It is noted that each probe has a certain dye that fluoresces on hybridization. Similar to PCR, Microarray-based platforms use barcode regions.

By ELISA - ELISA is the short form of Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. The methods that used ELISA can be set up for microorganism detection, specifically within diagnostics, on a species-by-species basis. Such methods are quite sensitive but they depend on very specific antibodies and highly discriminating protein within the organism of interest.

 By Chemical - Identification of microbes becomes possible though two ways such as Fatty Acid Profiling and Metabolic Profiles/Chemo-Profiling.

•    Fatty Acid Profiling: Fatty acids profile is used to detect an unidentified bacterial species by comparing with known profiles. Fatty acids are very important within bacterial cell membranes, and different bacterial species yield several combinations of fatty acids. This method is usually performed using a combination of mass spectrometry and gas chromatography.

•    Metabolic Profiles/Chemo-Profiling: In addition to primary metabolites such as ATP and ADP that are key components for growth, microorganisms produce a lot of secondary metabolites, which are not important for growth but are likely to beneficial within certain environments.

Secondary metabolites are antibiotics, pigments, immunosuppressive compounds and antioxidants. Such metabolites are a source of existing and newly developing drugs.

Different species usually generate unique secondary metabolite profiles that let us to detect known microbial species. Metabolic profiling is conducted by HPLC and mass spectrometry.

Conclusion

Be it your resident or aqueous industrial premises, regular microbe identification is very much essential to lead and maintain a safe and healthy environment. The microbial identification methods are not limited to what we have discussed here. They are really huge. But make sure our selected methods are widespread and very popular now-a-days.

Finally, we like to suggest you that apart from our complete guide to microbial identification, you need to have a consultation with top microbiologists at popular Microbial testing services. By doing so, your personal as well as environmental safety will be ensured fully.

About Author:

Anthony Lewis is a professional writer having deep interest in scientific innovations. In addition, he has been imparting training on personality development in various institutes as guest faculty. For over three years, Lewis has been penning informative pieces on Microbial Lab Testing, Bacteria and fungi test kit and Microbial testing services of Biosan Laboratories Inc.

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Anthony Lewis

About the Author

Anthony Lewis
Joined: October 8th, 2020
Articles Posted: 20

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