Laboratory Applications in Microbiology: A Case Study Approach, 3/e
Barry Chess,
Pasadena City College
ISBN: 0073402427 Copyright year: 2015
Feature Summary
Photographic Atlas
The photo atlas, located between exercises 39 and 40, contains more than 300 color photos.
The atlas is divided into eight major sections as follows:
• Staining techniques
• Cultural and biochemical tests
• Bacterial colonial morphology
• Bacterial microscopic morphology
• Fungi (both macroscopic and microscopic images)
• Protists
• Helminths
• Hematology and serology
Within each section, microbes are further organized.
Progression of Exercises Promotes Active Learning
Material in each of the first 39 exercises has been carefully organized so that students develop a solid intellectual base, beginning with a particular technique, mastering it, and then applying this new knowledge to a case study. Immediately following the introductory material, pre-lab questions help students to focus on the important aspects of a technique, developing a framework for what they will need to do prior to the lab, many of which require two or three periods. Between the multiday labs, questions are posed to ensure that the students understand what they have just done, the results they should expect, and the significance of those results. Postlab questions require applying the knowledge gained from the exercise to answer more thought-provoking questions about the techniques they have just studied. Each of the first 39 exercises concludes with a case study, a real-life situation in which the technique just mastered plays a starring role. Case study questions, generally higher-order thought questions, challenge students to apply the information they’ve learned to other situations. In a quarter of the exercises, open-ended topics for study are featured (There’s More to the Story . . .) that allow students to move beyond the everyday and become true researchers.
While the first 39 exercises focus on case studies, the why of microbiology, the how of the subject has not been forgotten. The final 50 exercises serve as a thorough compendium of common microbiological methods. These exercises are presented in such a way that students will develop critical thinking skills simply by deciding on a particular course of action. All similar techniques, such as selective and differential media or biochemical tests, are grouped together, and each exercise begins with student learning objectives and a brief overview. By reviewing the overview, a student may select an appropriate test, media, or staining technique from the many available, ensuring that they have decided not only what information they need, but how to go about getting it. Written to clearly guide students while also pointing out the importance of a particular technique, this portion of the manual provides detailed, well-illustrated procedures that stand by themselves or can be used in conjunction with the case studies in the front of the book. This is particularly helpful when undertaking unknowns, as each student’s unknown culture will require a unique set of procedures for complete identification. A data sheet in the appendix provides a single location for students to record their test results, reinforcing the importance of record keeping in the laboratory.
Extensive Flowcharts for Bacterial Identification
Exercise 39 introduces the concept of bacterial identification, using a case study recounting the recognition of Legionella pneumophila as the causative agent of Legionnaires’ disease. Within this exercise, 31 flowcharts are used to help identify bacterial unknowns commonly seen in the microbiology
laboratory, a far more extensive collection than the one or two found in most manuals. This exercise also serves as an introduction to the techniques section of the manual, allowing students to quickly decide which diagnostic techniques are applicable to their particular unknown culture.
A Self-Contained Resource for the Microbiology Laboratory
In the workplace, allied health professionals are expected to evaluate a situation and find a solution using whatever resources are available to them. This book serves as a self-contained resource, with everything a student needs to solve a problem in the microbiology laboratory. A glossary provides definitions of all microbiological terms used in the book, a rarity in the field. Appendices contain the formula of every medium and reagent used, in addition to tutorials covering universal techniques such as the use of pipettes and spectrophotometers as well as the preparation of media. Each exercise also includes a link to applicable websites, such as the CDC homepage for each pathogenic microorganism encountered. In short, this book will help students develop the ability to solve problems.