Handbook of Practical Examination in Microbiology

Study of microscopic organisms, such as bacteria, viruses, archaea, fungi and protozoa is known as microbiology. The practicals deepen the knowledge of microorganisms. This book “Handbook of Practical Examination in Microbiology” has been written with the intention of helping the students of MBBS/BDS to prepare for their microbiology practical examination, since they face a lot of difficulties due to the vast syllabus. This book is divided into 10 chapters. Students are unaware of the pattern of questions usually asked in the examination, so the format of the book is in Question-Answer format. In the practical examination, the students have to undergo various exercises such as spotting, gram staining, Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) staining, motility, stool examination along with viva voce. They have to prepare all exercises properly in a short time. Considering the above aspects, the book has been framed. First chapter discusses on identification and examination of various microscopic organisms with the help of microscope slides. Instruments and kits used in the field of microbiology are presented in second chapter. Third chapter introduces vaccines and uses of laboratory animals in microbiology. Fourth chapter covers culture media along with their various classifications and some important biochemical reactions. Questions related to Gram’s staining are discussed in fifth chapter. A lucid and comprehensive discussion on motility, ZN staining and stool examination is provided in sixth, seventh and eighth chapter of this book. Questions generally asked in the viva of practical examination of microbiology are presented in ninth chapter. Last chapter provides pictures of some most commonly used media, colonies of organisms and biochemical reactions.