Gram Staining of Bacteria from Environmental Sources
Source: Laboratories of Dr. Ian Pepper and Dr. Charles Gerba - The University of Arizona
Demonstrating Author: Luisa Ikner
The spectrum of research in environmental microbiology is broad in scope and application potential. Whether the work is bench-scale with known bacterial isolates, or in the field collecting soil or water samples containing unknown bacterial isolates, the ability to quickly and visually discern culturable populations of interest remains of great import to environmental microbiologists even today with the abundance of molecular techniques available for use. This video will demonstrate one such technique, known as Gram staining.
1. Sample Collection
- Collect soil sample and transport to the laboratory for microbial analysis.
- In the lab, weigh a 10 g sample using an analytical balance.
- Dilute the sample 1:10 into 95 mL of phosphate-buffered saline (10 parts soil is equivalent to 5 parts aqueous liquid), and vortex to mix (Figure 2, Step 1).
- Perform subsequent 1:10 dilutions up to at least 10-5 g soil per mL, and spread-plate selected dilutions in replicates of two or three onto
The Gram stain is used in the many sub-fields of both environmental and clinical microbiology. Water quality scientists may use the Gram stain as a confirmatory tool for the detection of fecal bacteria in water samples. Bacterial isolates from soils are Gram stained in order to further characterize culturable soil communities. For environmental microbiologists, Gram stain aids in the categorization of bacterial populations according to cell wall structure. This, in turn, provides information about the general ability of
Skip to...
Videos from this collection:
Now Playing
Gram Staining of Bacteria from Environmental Sources
Environmental Microbiology
96.0K Views
Determination of Moisture Content in Soil
Environmental Microbiology
355.3K Views
Aseptic Technique in Environmental Science
Environmental Microbiology
121.4K Views
Visualizing Soil Microorganisms via the Contact Slide Assay and Microscopy
Environmental Microbiology
41.2K Views
Filamentous Fungi
Environmental Microbiology
54.1K Views
Community DNA Extraction from Bacterial Colonies
Environmental Microbiology
28.5K Views
Detecting Environmental Microorganisms with the Polymerase Chain Reaction and Gel Electrophoresis
Environmental Microbiology
43.6K Views
RNA Analysis of Environmental Samples Using RT-PCR
Environmental Microbiology
40.0K Views
Quantifying Environmental Microorganisms and Viruses Using qPCR
Environmental Microbiology
47.4K Views
Water Quality Analysis via Indicator Organisms
Environmental Microbiology
28.9K Views
Isolation of Fecal Bacteria from Water Samples by Filtration
Environmental Microbiology
37.2K Views
Detection of Bacteriophages in Environmental Samples
Environmental Microbiology
40.2K Views
Culturing and Enumerating Bacteria from Soil Samples
Environmental Microbiology
180.5K Views
Bacterial Growth Curve Analysis and its Environmental Applications
Environmental Microbiology
292.9K Views
Algae Enumeration via Culturable Methodology
Environmental Microbiology
13.6K Views
ABOUT JoVE
Copyright © 2025 MyJoVE Corporation. All rights reserved