Isolating Multiple Strains of Escherichia coli for Coliphage Isolation, Phage-typing, and Mutant Recovery

 

Richard Levin

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 1994, Volume 15

Abstract

Recovery of Escherichia coli from a rectal swab begins a series of procedures combining mastery of technique with productive experiments. After isolating his/her own E. coli strain, each student recovers a unique coliphage from raw sewage and determines its host range, thereby revealing the genetic individuality of each bacterial and viral isolate. Colonies of virus-resistant mutants can often be recovered in regions where sensitive bacteria have been destroyed. After antibiotic sensitivity testing of E. coli isolates, a variety of antibiotic resistant mutants can be recovered, thus yielding genetically marked strains for future bacterial genetics experiments.

Keywords:  bacteria, E. coli, isolation, phage

University of Toronto (1993)