Mike,
Sometimes it is difficult to tell whether the cells are very-short rods or
cocci. One tip that might help: when you are looking at a Gram +'ve cocci,
there is typically very little doubt that they are cocci (e.g. Staphylococcus
or Streptococcus). If there is some doubt about whether it is a cocci or a
rod, then it often turns out to be a rod. Also, if you are looking at a G-
stain in a micro intro lab then it is likely a rod since G- cocci are almost
all nasty pathogens and would not have been given to you to examine.
Hope this helps,
Josh.
In article <7be4u1$nh at sjx-ixn6.ix.netcom.com>,
"Mike" <maj at unforgettable.com.nospam> wrote:
> I'm a university student in a microbio intro course and we're working with
> unknowns. Many in the class, including myself, are having a difficult time
> differentiating between rods and cocci on student-prepared Gram stain slides
> at 1000X oil-immersion magnification. Often they look like rods but also
> dividing cocci. The little "bugs" are just so small.
>> Any tips for the beginner?
>> Thanks in advance for your help!
>> Mike
>>
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