	Laboratory Investigations in Microbiology
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Photographs of bacterial colonies (not to scale)

E. coli K12 Enterobacter aerogenes Chromobacterium violaceum

E. coli B Neisseria subflava Micrococcus roseus

Pseudomonas aeruginosa Lactobacillus acidophilus Halobacterium salinarum

Corynebacterium pseudodiph. Edwardsiella tarda Staphylococcus saprophyticus

Alcaligenes faecalis Providencia alcalifaciens Klebsiella pneumoniae

Sporosarcina ureae                    Sporosarcina ureae pigmentation   Rhodospirillum rubrum

Serratia marcesens                      Serratia marcesens pigmentation   Serratia marcesens strain B

Staphylococcus aureus              Micrococcus luteus                   Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Shigella dysenteriae Yersinia enterocolitica Bacillus subtilis

Pseudomonas fluorescens Staphylococcus epidermidis Citrobacter freundii

Kurthia Bacillus cereus Aeromonas hydrophila

Salmonella arizonae Streptococcus lactis Salmonella typhimurium

Clostridium sporogenes Proteus vulgaris Mycobacterium phlei

Pseudomonas putida Enterococcus faecalis Proteus mirabilis

Bacillus laterosporis Bacillus mycoides

Bacterium Colony Characteristics


Azotobacter chroococcus	Beige / brownish-green with age
Aeromonas hydrophila	White / translucent
Alcaligenes faecalis	Beige / Cream - pink center in older colonies
Bacillus cereus	White / opaque - large, flat, dull
Bacillus mycoides	White / opaque - spreading, filamentous (rhizoid)
Bacillus subtilis	White / opaque - large, flat, dull
Branhamella catarrhalis	Beige / Cream - sticky adherent colonies
Chromobacterium violaceum	Purple opaque
Citrobacter freundii	Beige / Cream
Clostridium sporogenes	White translucent - spreading
Corynebacterium pseudodiphteriticum	White / Beige - round
Edwardsiella tarda	White / Beige - flat colonies
Enterobacter aerogenes	Beige / Cream
Enterococcus faecalis	White translucent
Escherichia coli (B)	Beige / Cream
Escherichia coli (K12)	Beige / Cream
Klebsiella pneumoniae	Beige / Cream
Kurthia gibsonii	Beige opaque
Lactobacillus acidophilus	White translucent
Micrococcus luteus	Yellow opaque
Micrococcus roseus	Pink opaque
Mycobacterium phlei	White opaque - dry & crumbly colonies
Neisseria subflava	Beige / cream - sticky (adherent) colonies
Proteus mirabilis	Beige / Cream - swarming behavior
Proteus vulgaris	Beige / Cream - swarming behavior
Providencia alcalifaciens	Beige / Cream
Pseudomonas aeruginosa	Beige / Pink center (older) & diffusible blue-green pigment
Pseudomonas fluorescens	White / beige
Pseudomonas putida	Yellow opaque
Salmonella arizonae	Beige / Cream
Salmonella typhimurium	Beige / Cream
Serratia marcesens A	Beige / Red
Serratia marcesens B	Red / orange - intense pigmentation
Shigella dysenteriae	White translucent
Spirillum rubrum	White / Red - slow growing
Sporosarcina ureae	Yellow opaque, brown diffusible pigment
Staphylococcus aureus	Yellow-gold opaque
Staphylococcus epidermis	White opaque
Staphylococcus saprophyticus	White opaque
Streptococcus lactis	White translucent
Streptococcus pyogenes	White translucent
Veillonella parvula	White translucent
Vibrio parahaemolyticus	Beige / Cream
Yersinia enterocolitica	Beige / Cream

Laboratory Investigations in Microbiology

Photographs of bacterial colonies (not to scale)

Bacterium Colony Characteristics