Recently, Guy Tremblay wrote about identifying bacteria in a home laboratory
and was asking for help. Guy, probably the best help I can give you is to
say DON'T DO IT. Bacteria and fungi that grow on microbiological media,
regardless of where the lab is, are not to be "played with". Without the
proper safety precautions, aseptic procedures, and disposal methods you are
placing yourself, your family, and potentially anyone who enters the area at
risk. For instance, if you see white molds growing on the media you have
inoculated, do you plan to remove the lid to examine the culture? Certain
white molds can be deadly!! You don't identify bacteria by looking at
pictures in books...sometimes I wish we could. Those yellow bacteria
you are looking at could be anything from Micrococci (skin flora) to
Flavobacterium (environmental organisms capable of causing disease) to
harmless soil organisms. Please be careful and reconsider what you are
planning to do.
