Module 2 – Case
PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CONTROL OF GROWTH AND VIABILITY
Case Assignment
In the Module 2 Case Assignment you will explore bacterial growth and methods used to measure and control the growth of microbes. After you have read the information on the Home page, answer the following questions:
- Review the video on metabolism again from the Module Overview. Where is metabolism being accomplished in the human cell? Be specific and include a brief description of the organelle being described. Does a human cell accomplish aerobic or anaerobic metabolism?
- What does the video describe as the final electron acceptor in the electron transport chain?
- Using the dichotomous key linked to the term identify, which organisms in the first frame of the video have been described in previous module materials?
Now choose a pathogenic bacterium to discuss and find the antibiotic that can be used to control it. Use this link to Antibiotic Modes of Action to learn more about how antibiotics work and to identify the appropriate antibiotic for your chosen pathogen. Use the following format to write this section of your Case Assignment:
Introduction
Include the growth requirements and phenotypic characteristics of your pathogenic bacteria. Refer to the dichotomous keys, growth patterns, and the CDC website to properly discuss these phenotypic descriptions of your pathogen.
Body Paragraph 1
Is this bacteria ONLY pathogenic or does it reside as a normal part of the Human Microbiome? If it is also a nonpathogenic resident microbe, what conditions create the pathogenic state? (We use the term “opportunistic pathogen” to describe this type of pathogen).
Body Paragraph 2
Describe the mode of action of the antibiotic class used to control this bacterium. Use the information you gathered from answering questions 1-3 about human cell metabolism to explain how antibiotics are specifically effective only against bacteria (while leaving human cells unharmed).
Conclusion
Summarize the topics you described and explain how the characteristics of your pathogen can be used to control it.
