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[Quiz #2]

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This is an Escherichia Coli bacterium. Let us tell you more about it.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a gram-negative bacterium of the Enterobacteriaceae family. It is rod-shaped and is commonly found in the digestive tract of humans and warm-blooded organisms. Most E. coli strains are harmless, but pathogenic varieties may cause different infections: urinary tract infections, diarrhea, and cholecystitis. Some E. coli can also be found in undercooked or raw animal products and cause severe food poisoning.

Escherichia Coli

 

To detect this bacterium, the gram stain is used. This stain differentiates bacteria by two main criteria: their shape (pairs, tetrads, groups, chains, etc.) and their affinity to stains (gram-positive and gram-negative).

Gram-negative organisms such as E. Coli are pink and/or red, and Gram-positive organisms are purple or blue.

Tip for finding the answer: the bacteria to be identified are rod-shaped, Gram-negative (pink) so it could not be Staphylococcus which is sphere-shaped and Gram-positive or Neisseria which is certainly Gram-negative but sphere-shaped.

See you next month for another Quiz 🎲!