FLAGELLA STAIN

FLAGELLA STAIN
Motility is also covered in the lab exercise on the hanging drop motility slide.
Categories of flagellation:
monotrichous = single flagellum
peritrichous = flagella all around
amphitrichous = flagella at both ends lophotrichous
= tuft of many flagella at one end or both ends
Motility can be identified in a couple of different ways:
 the hanging drop wet mount
 motility agar media (SIM and tetrazolium motility agars used later)
The basic point about the flagella stain is that the combination of chemicals produces a
thickened coat around the flagella, making them more easily seen with a light microscope.
Flagella are extremely thin and of small diameter, so they are below the resolution of the light
microscope if unstained. We will not be making our own flagella stains for a variety of
reasons:
 producing a good flagella is rather like making good art
 flagella are very delicate and tend to break off the cells easily when manipulated
 environmental factors such as temperature, pH, age of culture can affect the stability
of the flagella (notice that lots of cells have lost their flagella)
OBJECTIVES:
Identify flagella on bacterial cells.
Differentiate among different types of flagellation.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
prepared flagella stains (there are different types of flagellation in the slide boxes)
THE PROCEDURE:
These stains are bought and ready to use. Although they have cover slips, you still use oil
when on 100X magnification. Be sure to remove the oil with the lens paper.
INTERPRETATION:
You should see different kinds of flagellation on the various slides:
monotrichous
peritrichous
atrichous
amphitrichous
lophotrichous
QUESTIONS:
1. Draw an example of an amphitrichously flagellated bacillus-shaped bacterium.
2. What designation does one used for a bacterium without flagella?
Fall 2011, Jackie Reynolds, Richland College, BIOL 2421