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5. Explain why bacterial stains are not always intuitive of bacterial identity.

Although, the most fundamental technique for classifying bacteria is the gram stain,

developed in 188 by !anish scientist "hristian #ram because it differentiates among bacteria

and can be used to distinguish among them $based on differences in their cell wall%, it is not the

sole technique to &now the identity of the bacteria. 'acterial stains are not always intuitive ofbacterial identity because certain stain may not identify a particular species of bacteria instead a

group of different species of bacteria with the same characteristics of their cell walls, i.e. the

number of peptidoglycans present in their cell walls.

(icrobiologists have accumulated and organi)ed the &nown characteristics of different

bacteria in a reference boo& called 'ergey*s (anual of +ystematic 'acteriology. he

identification schemes of 'ergey*s (anual are based on morphology $e.g., coccus, bacillus%,

staining $gram-positive or negative%, cell wall composition $e.g., presence or absence of

peptidoglycan%, oxygen requirements $e.g., aerobic, facultatively anaerobic% and biochemical

tests $e.g., which sugars are aerobically metaboli)ed or fermented%.

eference/

'acteria - 0dentifying And "lassifying 'acteria - +tain, #ram, !na, and 'acterium - an&

Articles http/22science.3ran&.org2pages24112'acteria-0dentifying-classifying-

bacteria.htmlix))6yoesrq7