BACTERIAL SHAPE/ Wrinkled N.

sicca
ORGANISM
ARRANGEMENT/ COLONIES
Coffee bean or kidney shaped Neisseria Violet pigment (violacein) in DNA Chromobacterium
Fried egg M. hominis Agar violaceum
S. moniliformis Red (prodigiosin) best observed S. marcescens
F. varium at RT
Pearl like/ mercury droplet like B. pertussis Star-shaped colonies Aggregatobacter
actinomycetemcomit
Chinese letter/ picket fence C. diphtheriae ans
SPECIAL STAINS ORGANISM
Cigar shaped M. leprae

School of red fish H. ducreyi Gimenez and Machiavelli Rickettsia

Comma shaped and Fish in the V. Cholerae Malachite green Ascaris eggs
stream appearance C. diphtheriae
Lancet shaped: dome-type S. pneumoniae Endospores
(young); umbilicated (old)
Safety pin Y. pestis
Dienes Mycoplasma
Necklace S. moniliformis
Wayson’s Polar bodies –
Lollipop, drumstick, tennis racket C. Tetani Y. pestis

Boxcar, bamboo or thick squares B. Anthracis Alberts and LAMB C. diphtheriae –

metachromatic
Diphtheroid-like/ palisade L. Monocytogenes granules —>
babes Ernst
Beaded rods (with warty, rough or MTB
cauliflower colonies) Seller’s Negri bodies
Poached egg colonies C. diphtheriae
India Ink Capsules
ground -glass colonies V. cholerae
B. subtilis Schaeffer Fulton Endospores
Stalactite colonies Y. pestis
Fite-faraco M. leprae
Daisy head C. Diphtheriae var.
Gravis Leifsons Flagella
Mannitol golden yellow and S. aureus
pinhead Warthin starry, Levaditi Spirochetes
Fish eye colony Enterobacter and fontana

Pitted agar Moraxella Dieterle’s L. pneumophila

Waxy Proteus GRANULES

Maple leaf Salmonella Much granules M. tuberculosis

Coalescent and mucoid Klebsiella

Babes Ernst C. diphtheriae
Dew like colonies with satellite M. influenzae
phenomenon
Prodigiosin Serratia marcescens
Mulberry Mycoplasma & PPLO

Irregular Arizona Pseudomonas aeruginosa Blue - pyocyanin

Green - pyoverdine
Irregular and feathery P. aeruginosa
Red - pyorubin
Brown - pyomelanin
Coral Red fluorescence under UV C. minutissimum
light (Wood’s Lamp)
Golden Yellow (staphyloxanthin) S. aureus
best at RT
Hockey-puck M. catarrhalis

Molar tooth appearance A. israelii

Non-pigmented S. pneumoniae

Snow flakes on BG (Brilliant Salmonella

Green) Agar
Medusa Head B. anthracis
 BACTERIAL ODOR

Fish like V. cholerae

Garlic C. diphtheriae

Pungent Serratia odorifera

P. multocida

Musty S. odorifera
Nocardia
Streptomyces

Bleach-like M influenzae
E. corrodens

Horse manure C. Difficile

Grape-like, fruity and corn tortilla Pseudomonas

aeruginosa

Apple-like/ sweet A. odorans

Burnt gunpowder or ammoniacal Proteus

Freshly-cut apples A. faecalis

Dirty Sneakers Staph and

Citrobacter

Fecalent/ putrid C. difficile

P. anaerobius

Fruity Corynebacterium

Wet-fur M. influenzae

Acrid Pigmented
Bacteroides

Butterscotch/ caramel Viridans,

Mousy, musty basement, mouse H. influenzae

nest

Strawberry odor P. fragi

Cracker odor E. corrodens

Indole odor P. multocida