BMLS 3D Practical Exam Questions – 50 points

Practical Exam Instructions:

- This will be done BY GROUP.

*by group papasoksa zoom room*
- Each person in the group would be answering 1 question only for 10 points
* For groups with 6 members, there would be 2 people bearing 5 points each.
- All or nothing, if the answer is correct, you get 10, if wrong, 0.
*You may save your groupmate but if the answer is correct, it would garner half the correct score.
- The score of the group will be the score of all the individuals included.
- When answering you are required to turn on your camera, microphone and answer with eyes closed. 
(to avoid cheating) Secure proper internet back up, charge your phone, laptop, tablets ahead.
- You only have 30 seconds thinking time and 1 minute to answer.
- Questions will be placed in the wheel to avoid them from being repeated (All of you will be answering a
different question.)
- Good luck!

PUT ANSWEEERS ON THE NUMBER NAKA ASSIGN SAINYO HEKHEK THEN SEND
BALIK SA GC PARA MA COMPILE NATO AND MA STUDYHAN
1-6 AGUSTIN
7-12 AMPER
13-22 CASTRO
23-28 GANADOS
29-34 MAGHANOY
35-40 VERGARA

1. What is the best reagent sample used for coagulase testing? and why?

- Rabbit coagulase plasma Is used because it detects coagulase enzyme produce

by staphylococcus aureus.

2. Why was the Brightfield microscope called as such and what are its best uses for?

- It is called Brightfield microscope because of its principle that it views fixed

and live specimens, that have been stained with basic stains. It is best used in
Biology, Cellular Biology and in Microbiology.

3. What is the basic microbiology lab apparatus used for sterilizing culture media? What is
the method used in this machine and why is it the best/standard choice?


- Autoclave is a microbiology apparatus used for sterilizing culture media. It is a

sterilization method that uses high pressure steam. It is the best standard
because it has the ability to kill harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi and spores.
4. What is the device that is used in the laboratories for the growth and maintenance of
microorganisms and cultures? What is the standard temperature in lab and why?


- Incubator. The standard temperature Is 35-37 degree Celsius because this range
Is cooler than room temperature and protects the organisms from death.

5. What is the difference between disinfectant and antiseptic agents? Cite examples

- Disinfectants - used to kill germs on nonliving surfaces. Ex. Lysol, Chlorine,

Sulphur dioxide
- Antiseptic agents - used to kill microorganism on your skin. Ex. Isopropyl
Alcohol, Povidone-iodine, Benzalkonium Chloride

6. Why is moist heat more effective than dry heat?


- Moist heat is more effective than dry heat because it has the ability to penetrate
microbial cells. Moist heat kills microorganism by denaturing their proteins.

7. What is the method of disinfection where lack of water inhibits the action of microbial
enzymes? Cite examples

 The method of disinfection where lack of water inhibits the action of microbial enzymes is
desiccation. It has a static effect on microorganisms.
o Example: Dehydrated and freeze-dried foods – do not require refrigeration because
the absence of water inhibits microbial growth.

8. What’s the difference between bacteriostatic and bactericidal agents? Cite examples
 Bacteriostatic agent – agents that prevents the growth of bacteria
o Example: keeps them in stationary phase of growth (sa bacterial growth curve ni
siya)
 Bactericidial agent – it kills bacteria
o Example: beta-lactam antibiotics (penicillin derivatives), daptomycin,
metronidazole)

9. What are the factors which may influence antimicrobial activity: (7)

 Bacterial status (susceptibilty and resistance, tolerance, persistence, biofilm)
 Antimicrobial concentrations
 Host factors
10. Boiling water (100°C) will generally kill vegetative cells after about 10 minutes of
exposure. Which bacteria species may survive even after hours of boiling and why?

 The bacteria species that will survive even after hours of boiling is the hyperthermophiles
they can grow even from boiling point of 100 C. They usually live in hot springs or deep
ocean vents. This is because the protein molecules in hyperthermophiles exhibit
hyperthermostability which means it can maintain structural stability and function at high
temperature.
11. Why do you use oil on a slide to be examined with the oil-immersion objective? How
does the immersion oil help to increase the resolving power of the oil immersion?
  Oil immersion is a technique used to improve imaging. It helps increase the resolving
power of the oil immersion by immersing both the objectives lens and the specimen in a
transparent oil of high refractive index.

12. What does parfocality mean and how does it apply in bacteriologic techniques?

 Parfocal targets are those that can be adjusted with little or no focusing. It helps in
bacteriologic techniques in order to see clearly and focus in the identification of
organisms.

13. What is doffing and the proper process of doffing?


 Doffing simply means taking off PPE. It Is the process of taking off gown then peel
down off the body and arms, balling or rolling it in the contaminated surfaces (front
and sleeves).
1. Remove shoe covers
2. Remove gown and gloves together
3. Perform hand hygiene
4. Remove eye protection
5. Remove mask/respirator
6. Perform hand hygiene

14. What is donning and the proper process of donning?


 In contrast with Doffing, donningrefer to as the process of putting on PPE.

1. Perform hand hygiene
2. Put on shoe covers
3. Put on gown
4. Put on mask/respirator
5. Put on eye protection
6. Put on gloves

15. What pressure, temperature, and time are used in routine autoclaving?

 To be effective, the autoclave must reach and maintain a temperature of 121° C for at
least 30 minutes by using saturated steam under at least 15 pounds per square inch of
pressure. Increased cycle time may be necessary depending upon the make-up and
volume of the load.

16. What is the control bacteria used for testing effectivity for the autoclave?
  The control bacteria used for testing effectivity for the autoclave are the spores of
Bacillus stearothermophilus, because it is athermophilic bacterium that grows best at
55º C.

17. What organisms are catalase positive? Explain the rationale as to why they are capable
of producing effervescence when in contact with hydrogen peroxide.

 Organisms that are catalase positive are Staphylococci and Micrococci,Listeria,

Corynebacteriumdiphtheriae, Burkholderiacepacia, andEnterobacteriaceae.
 So the catalase test is used to identify organisms that produce the enzyme, which is
the catalase. This enzyme now detoxifies hydrogen peroxide by breaking it down into
water and oxygen gas. Then the formation of effervescence or bubblesresulting from
production of oxygen gas now indicate that a catalase is positive in result.

18. Does coagulase contribute to the virulence of _____ why and how?

 Coagulase contribute to the virulence of pathogenic bacteria such as

satphylococcusaureus. Since coagulase closely linked to the surface of bacterium S.
aureus, it may be coated with fibrin on blood contact. The fibrin clot can prevent
phagocytosis and isolate the bacterium from other host defenses. This means that the
fibrin coat can make the bacteria virulent.

19. State the process of performing catalase testing from start to end.

 Procedure of the test catalase; pour 1-2 ml of hydrogen peroxide solution into a test
tube. Using a sterile wooden stick or a glass rod, take several colonies of the 18 to 24
hours test organism and immerse in the hydrogen peroxide solution. Observe for
immediate bubbling.

20. State the process of performing coagulase testing from start to end.

 Procedure of the test coagulase; Add a drop of human or rabbit plasma to one of the
suspensions, and mix gently. Look for clumping of the organisms within 10 seconds.
No plasma is added to the second suspension to differentiate any granular appearance
of the organism from true coagulase clumping.

21. False positive for catalase

 Red Blood cells contain catalase and their presence will give a false positive test. Also,
Iron containing loops will cause false positive test results if exposed to hydrogen
peroxide. Instead, use a platinum loop or wooden stick to perform this test.

22. False negative for catalase

 As the growth for catalase testing must be taken from an 18-24 hour culture.
Organisms lose their catalase activity with age, resulting in a false-negative reaction.
23. False positive for coagulase

- The presence of CO2 may cause false-positive results.

- The slide test should be read very quickly, as false positives can occur.
- The slide test should not be performed with organisms taken from high-salt media
such as Mannitol Salt Agar, as the salt content can create false positives.

24. False negative for coagulase

- The sample must be tested for coagulation within 24 hours. This is because
certain coagulase-producing strains also generate fibrinolysin, an enzyme that may
dissolve the clot. Therefore, the absence of a clot after 24 hours is no guarantee that a clot
never formed. The formation of a clot by 12 hours and the subsequent disappearance of
the clot by 24 hours could produce a so-called false negative if the test were only
observed at the 24-hour time.

25. As stated, before what are the 4 phases in bacterial growth curve? Explain

Lag Phase: This initial phase is characterized by cellular activity but not growth.
A small group of cells are placed in a nutrient rich medium that allows them to
synthesize proteins and other molecules necessary for replication.

Exponential (Log) Phase: This is the time when the cells are dividing by binary
fission and doubling in numbers after each generation time.

Stationary Phase: the population growth experienced in the log phase begins to
decline as the available nutrients become depleted and waste products start to
accumulate. Bacterial cell growth reaches a plateau, or stationary phase, where the
number of dividing cells equal the number of dying cells.

Death Phase: As nutrients become less available and waste products increase,
the number of dying cells continues to rise. In the death phase, the number of living cells
decreases exponentially and population growth experiences a sharp decline.

26. What are possible causes of exponential growth to stop?

Exponential growth cannot continue indefinitely. The lack of food, or the

production of waste can both stop a population growing. How much food is left, or how
much waste is produced is, in turn, strongly influenced by the number of consumers
and producers. The more bacteria we have growing in a bottle, the more food they will
be consuming and the more waste they will be producing.

27 What is the taxonomic order for naming organisms

 Domain
 Kingdom
  Phylum
 Class
 Order
 Family
 Genus
 Species

28 Cocci classification based on arrangement? (5)

 Diplococci
 Streptococci
 Tetracocci
 Sarcinae
 Staphylococci

29. Function and parts of the bacterial flagella and cite an example of which bacteria has
such structure?
 Filament - locomotion fimbriae.
 Hook - flexible end of the filament connected to the basal body which moves from the outer
wall and the membrane structure.
 Nasal body - contains rotary motor.
 E. coli, Salmonella, Vibrio cholera

30. 2 types of glycocalyx, differentiate, purpose and examples of bacteria which contains
this structure
 Capsule - tightly bound to the cell wall; well organized layer
 Slime layer - loosely bound to the cell wall; unorganized layer
 Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae

31. Basic identities/characteristics of bacteria (4)

 Most are single-celled
 Absent organelles
 Has cell wall
 Small in size

32. 2 types of bacteria differentiated through the presence/absence of _______ (hint: one is
tolerable to extreme living conditions)
 Gram positive
 Gram negative

33. types of flagella based on placement?

 Monotrichous flagella
 Amphitrichous flagella
 Peritrichous flagella
 Lophotrichous flagella
34. Reagents for catalase testing?

 Hydrogen peroxide

35. Differentiate slide and tube coagulase? which comes first and why?

Slide coagulase test is done to detect bound coagulase or clumping factor. Tube
coagulase test is done to detect free coagulase. Slide coagulase test must come first in
order because coagulase negative slides must be confirmed using a tube coagulase test
as the definitive test for S. aureus.

36. What is the function of the condenser and what should be its setting upon usage in the
laboratory?

In chemistry, a condenser is laboratory apparatus used to condense vapors — that is,

turn them into liquids — by cooling them down. Condensers are routinely used in
laboratory operations such as distillation, reflux, and extraction.

37. Demonstrate how to use a microscope.

1. Carry microscope with two hands, supporting the base with one hand.
2. Always hold the microscope in a vertical position.
3. Clean optical surfaces only with a good quality lens tissue and commercial lens
cleaner.
4. Do not use the 10× and 40× objectives with oil.
5. Clean the oil immersion lens after use.
6. Always remove slides with the low-power objective raised.
7. Store the microscope with the low-power objective in position and the stage
centered.

38. What are things to look for/ make sure of when using the microscope? Cite 2 and why

1. NEVER USE THE COURSE FOCUS WITH THE HIGHER POWER OBJECTIVES
(20X, 40X OR 100X objectives) IN REMOVING THE SLIDE. REMOVING THE SLIDE
FROM UNDER HIGHER POWER OBJECTIVES MAY CAUSE THE SLIDE SURFACE
TO HIT THE OBJECTIVE LENS SINCE THE LENS IN THESE OBJECTIVES WILL BE
VERY CLOSE TO THE SLIDE. THIS COULD RESULT IN DAMAGE TO THE LENS.

2. Use ONLY the fine focus control when focusing the higher power objectives (20X,
40X, 100X) on a slide. The course focus control is too course for focusing with these
objectives. Objectives are fragile and must not be rammed into slides.
39. What is a basic microbiology apparatus that enables us to inoculate bacteria, what is the
composition of this apparatus and and how do we use them/it?
Bacteriological culture media Is the basic apparatus that inables us to inoculate bacteria. It
can be prepared as a liquid (broth), a solid (plate media or slant media), or as a semi-solid
(deeps). Solid and semi-solid media contain a solidifying agent such as agar or gelatin. Agar,
which is a polysaccharide derived from red seaweed (Rhodophyceae) is preferred because it
is an inert, non-nutritive substance. The agar provides a solid growth surface for the bacteria,
upon which bacteria reproduce until the distinctive lumps of cells that we call colonies
form.The most effective way to do this is the streak plate method, which dilutes the
individual cells by spreading them over the surface of an agar plate

40. Most important step before and after entering the microbiology laboratory? why?

Proper Handwashing. Hand washing is an essential component of laboratory safety. Failure

to wash your hands before and after may result in transmission of pathogens from your
hands to your mucous membranes, causing infection, or contamination of nearby surfaces,
posing a risk to others in the lab.