What is the protocol in isolating and identifying selected microbiology unknowns?

Answer 1

Your first step, if the microbe is in a liquid culture is to aseptically streak a nutrient agar plate for isolation. Incubate for 48 hours at 37 degrees C. You should have some good colonal growth after this.

Transfer a small colony, or simply take a sample of the original liquid culture and transfer it to a glass slide.

Perform a Gram stain and view under the microscope at 1000x. Use oil immersion if necessary.

From this you will be able to tell the microbial morphology and gram-stain outcome.

At this point, a series of selective and differential tests will need to be made depending on the outcome of the above. See Bergy's Manual for some more inciteful information.