Identifying bacteria 

If you are in an advanced microbiology class or medical school, you will need to identify bacteria on quizzes, exams, and in labs related to the morphology, staining techniques and lab tests done on the speciman. The most common factors references are gram stain, catalase +/-, coagulase +/-, spore forming or not, hemolysis, aerobic/anaerobic/etc., and antibiotic resistance. In the game above, you will also need to recognize bacterial structure, as it's shown in visual form instead of written. 

Review Videos:

• Ninja Nerd: Bacteria Structure and Function - This video is an entire lesson that will teach you the basics of bacterial anatomy including characteristics of all the main bacteria. 

Additional Resources:

Gram Positive or Gram Negative whack-a-mole game - If this game is tricky for you, try an easier version to sort bacteria based on gram negative or gram positive traits.  

Microrao.com - This website is designed for students to identify bacteria. Find a picture or a bacterial specimen and use the provided checklists to identify the species. 

American Society of Microbiology - Read more information about the basics of identifying bacteria. This website includes a helpful diagram for bacteria species classification, as well as videos on common lab procedures.