what kind of criteria can i use to identify and classify pathogenic microorganisms?
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shape/morphology\ngram pos or gram neg\npresence of capsules (or not)
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Bacteria, amoebas and fungi
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If you are trained in microbiology you can tell by eye.  Plate out the bacteria (for single colonies) onto a universal media that is suitable for your target bacteria,  ie CLED, Maconkeys, Blood, Chocolate.  Incubate until there is a growth (usually 24hrs at 37 degreees celcsius is aerobic).  Look at the plate, are the colonies uniform in appearence.\n\nIf you are using liquid culture youu could use microscopy before plating out.  Either a gram stain or a direct (wet prep). This would let you know if you had all gram positives or all gram negatives or all rods or all  cocci or a mixture.  You would still have to plate out to make sure only one colony type grows.
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Try the Internet and a Microbiology book
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Gram-positive bacteria :\nGram-positive bacteria are classified as bacteria that retain a crystal violet dye during the Gram stain process. Gram-positive bacteria will appear blue or violet under a microscope, whereas Gram-negative bacteria will appear red or pink. The difference in classification is largely based on a difference in the bacteria's cell wall structure.\nThe following characteristics are generally present in a Gram-positive bacteria:\nA very thick cell wall (peptidoglycan) \nIf a flagellum is present, it contains two rings for support (an additional two rings are not necessary, unlike in Gram-negative bacteria, because the thick cell wall is supportive enough) \nTeichoic acids are present, which serve to act as chelating agents, and also for certain types of adherence \nIn the original bacterial phyla, the Gram-positive forms made up the phylum Firmicutes, a name now used for the largest group. It includes many well-known genera such as Bacillus, Listeria, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, and Clostridium. It has also been expanded to include the Mollicutes, bacteria like Mycoplasma that lack cell walls and so cannot be stained by Gram, but are derived from such forms.\n\nThe actinobacteria are another major group of Gram-positive bacteria; they and the Firmicutes are referred to as the high and low G+C groups based on the guanosine and cytosine content of their DNA. If the second membrane is a derived condition, the two may have been basal among the bacteria; otherwise they are probably a relatively recent monophyletic group. They have been considered as possible ancestors for the archaeans and eukaryotes, both because they are unusual in lacking the second membrane and because of various biochemical similarities such as the presence of sterols.\n\nThe Deinococcus-Thermus bacteria also have Gram-positive stains, although they are structurally similar to Gram-negative bacteria.\n\nBoth Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria may have a membrane called an S-layer. In Gram-negative bacteria, the S-layer is directly attached to the outer membrane. In Gram-positive bacteria, the S-layer is attached to the peptidoglycan layer. Unique to Gram-positive bacteria is the presence of teichoic acids in the cell wall. Some particular teichoic acids, lipoteichoic acids, have a lipid component and can assist in anchoring peptidoglycan, as the lipid component is embedded in the membrane.\n\nGram Negative Bacteria:\nGram-negative bacteria are those that do not retain crystal violet dye in the Gram staining protocol. Gram-positive bacteria will retain the dark blue dye after an alcohol wash, whereas Gram-negative bacteria do not. In a Gram stain test, a counterstain is added after the crystal violet, which colors all Gram-negative bacteria a red or pink color. The test itself is useful in classifying two distinctly different types of bacteria based on structural differences in their cell walls.\n\nMany species of Gram-negative bacteria are pathogenic, meaning they can cause disease in a host organism. This pathogenic capability is usually associated with certain components of Gram-negative cell walls, in particular the lipopolysaccharide (also known as LPS or endotoxin) layer.\nThe following characteristics are displayed by Gram-negative bacteria:\n\nCell walls only contain a few layers of peptidoglycan (which is present in much higher levels in Gram-positive bacteria) \nCells are surrounded by an outer membrane of lipopolysaccharide outside the peptidoglycan layer \nPorins exist in the outer membrane, which act like pores for particular molecules \nThere is a space between the layers of peptidoglycan and the secondary cell membrane called the periplasmic space \nThe S-layer is directly attached to the outer membrane, rather than the peptidoglycan \nIf present, flagella have four supporting rings instead of two \nNo teichoic acids are present \nLipoproteins are attached to the polysaccharide backbone whereas in Gr
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No there are various taxanomical methods to classify organisms but the most commonly used one in the scientific field is the Lineus 5 kingdom classification system.
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1.What bacteria are we talking about (E.coli? Which strain?)\n2.There is no such standard solution for any type of bacteria.\n3.Why on earth would you need such a dilution? \n4.What type of facilites do you have access to (You can isolate single cells by FACs provided you have a proper marker and this expensive equipment)
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What class was this in? What grade level? What text were you using?  I may be able to help you if I know the context in which the question was raised. I have a feeling that I am not getting all the information you had. Please tell me and maybe I can help. I am an old chemist and microbiologist.
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Human pathology and Mycology ( Study of fungi)
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viruses, bacteria, fungi, or protozoan parasites
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some yeasts can be part of the normal flora.\n\nbeing part of the normal flora doesn't disqualify something as a pathogen, however.\n\nsome times it just takes a change in the population of the normal flora for a normally harmless resident to cause a lot of trouble.
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University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas.  I know they have an excellent microbiology program.  check it out for forensics.
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All three of you appear to be a little ignorant. Both chlamydia spp and rickettsia spp are obligate intracellular parasites....you cannot get a sample and grow it on agar because it will jsut die. You can only grow it in a tissue sample.\n\nTo show their bacteria-genome analysis, 16s RNA analysis is also a good technique if you have access to it. You could also fractionate it, and study the cellular components.\n\nFinally the cell walls of bacteria are unique to bacteria, so take a close look at it. I believe chlamydia has a type 4 wall.\n\nHope that helps you out
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http://www.api-pt.com/pdfs/2005Amicro.pdf\nhttp://www.life.umd.edu/classroom/bsci424/PathogenDescriptions/Enterobacteriaceae.htm\nhttp://www.indstate.edu/thcme/micro/pdf/chapter13.pdf\nhttp://www.austincc.edu/microbugz/images/03pvulgaris.jpg
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There are many different tests you could so on a culture to determine the type of bacteria. The main tests that you could do to find out a general idea of what Genus of bacteria you have would be things like a Gram stain, Catalase test, Oxidase test, O/F Fermenation test, growing the culture on different mediums, a motility test. Once you have done these tests there are then other tests which are more specific to one group of bacteria to give you an exact type of bacteria.
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The major groups of microorganisms—namely bacteria, archaea, fungi (yeasts and molds), algae, protozoa, and viruses
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A Masters in Microbiology will help you qualify as a Medical Technologist with a Microbiology Specialist (American Society of Clinical Pathologists (a national registry)) or as a research assistant in a teaching hospital.  With a little experience it could also open the door for teaching (college or above), epidemiology and health safety, homeland security, or a doctorate of medicine.