Subsequently, a decolorizer, often solvent of ethanol and acetone, is used to remove the dye. The next step, also known as fixing the dye, involves using iodine to form crystal violet- iodine complex to prevent easy removal of dye. The first step in gram staining is the use of crystal violet dye for the slide's initial staining. The organisms that do not take up primary stain appear red under a microscope and are Gram-negative organisms. The term for organisms that retain the primary color and appear purple-brown under a microscope is Gram-positive organisms. Often the first test performed, gram staining involves the use of crystal violet or methylene blue as the primary color. It gets its name from the Danish bacteriologist Hans Christian Gram who first introduced it in 1882, mainly to identify organisms causing pneumonia. These resident Lactobacillus species help maintain our health by preventing colonization by disease-associated bacteria.The Gram staining is one of the most crucial staining techniques in microbiology. Some Lactobacillus species are associated with mucosal surfaces of humans. Lactobacillus is common in the making of yogurt and cheese products. Streptococcus is most famous for causing "strep throat" but many benign streptococci are normally found in the mouth and throat. Some staphylococci and micrococci are commonly found on human skin and mucosal surfaces. Diverse Firmicutes include Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, Streptococcus and Lactobacillus. They are grouped in the Class Bacilli or Class Clostridia. Most Firmicutes have cell walls, and these bacteria can be found in a great variety of habitats. The percentage of G+C is one of many general features used to characterize bacterial genomes Therefore the number of Cytosine bases equals the number of Guanine bases and likewise A=T. In a double helix of DNA, Adenine pairs with Thymidine and Guanine pairs with Cytosine. The DNA of all living things is made up of four nucleotide bases Adenine (A), Cytosine (C), Guanine (G) and Thymidine (T). White scale bar, lower right, represents 100nm. Scanning electron micrograph of Mycoplasma mobile. This group contains several very important human pathogens that can cause pneumonia, urethritis, carditis, and gingivitis, to name a few. They also have special lipids called sterols and lipoglycans, to help protect against osmotic stress. Therefore Mollicutes are often closely associated with a host that can provide them with a stable environment. Without a cell wall these bacteria tend to be very delicate. Mollicutes such as the Mycoplasma are very small cells lacking a peptidoglycan cell wall. Currently, there are seven recognized Classes of Firmicutes: the Erysipelotrichia, the Negativicutes, the Limnochordia, the Tissierellia, the Thermolithobacteria, the Clostridia and the Bacilli. Groups of Firmicutes have been classified based on characteristics like type of cell envelope, endospore formation and aerotolerance (how well they live and grow in oxygen). Other distinguishing features of these cell envelopes include porins, S layers, teichoic and lipoteichoic acids, and lipoproteins. The Firmicutes and Gram-negative Proteobacteria cell envelopes differ most notably by the presence or absence of an outer membrane. The function of the S layer is not known but it is believed to prevent predation in the environment. Many members of the Firmicutes have an outermost envelope layer of protein called the S layer. Underneath the peptidoglycan there is a phospholipid bilayer and its associated proteins that act as a selective barrier. The typical Firmicutes cell envelope consists of a layer of peptidoglycan, which is a polymer of protein and carbohydrate that gives structure and shape to the cell and protects the bacterium from osmotic stress. It is evident that Firmicutes are as diverse as they are important. Certain Firmicutes make resistant progeny called endospores, while others can only reproduce through binary fission. Exceptions have been identified and some Firmicutes have G+C content as high as 55% (e.g. In fact, some Firmicutes have no cell wall at all! They are called "low G+C" because their DNA typically has fewer G and C DNA bases than A and T bases as compared to other bacteria. While many Firmicutes stain Gram-positive, some do not. This procedure identifies cells that have a thick cell wall of peptidoglycan. Gram-positive organisms stain purple with a differential staining procedure developed in 1884 by Christian Gram. Many have certain distinct cellular characteristics. The group name refers to a phylum of Bacteria, also known as the Firmicutes, its members share a common evolutionary history. This is an ecologically and industrially important group of microorganisms.
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