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Proteus vulgaris
Palabao, Clarissa I.
MT10315
INTRODUCTION
Proteus vulgaris is a rod-shaped Gram-negative chemoheterotroph bacterium. The
size of individual cells varies from 0.4~0.6m by 1.2~2.5m. P. vulgaris possesses peritrichous
flagella, making it actively motile. It inhabits the soil, polluted water, raw
meat, gastrointestinaltracts of animals, and dust. In humans, Proteus species most frequently
cause urinary tract infections, but can also produce severe abscesses;P. mirabilis produces 90
percent of cases, and is encountered in the community, but P. vulgaris is associated
with nosocomial infection. (Citizendium, 2010)
The agar diffusion test, or the Kirby-Bauer disk-diffusion method, is a means of
measuring the effect of an antimicrobial agent against bacteria grown in culture.
The bacteria in question is swabbed uniformly across a culture plate. A filter-paper disk,
impregnated with the compound to be tested, is then placed on the surface of the agar. The
compound diffuses from the filter paper into the agar. The concentration of the compound will be
highest next to the disk, and will decrease as distance from the disk increases. If the compound
is effective against bacteria at a certain concentration, no colonies will grow where the
concentration in the agar is greater than or equal to the effective concentration. This is the zone
of inhibition. Thus, the size of the zone of inhibition is a measure of the compound's
effectiveness: the larger the clear area around the filter disk, the more effective the compound.
(Wikipedia, 2012)
Figure 1 shows that the only visible zone of inhibition is Kanamycin with 2.5 cm or
25mm diameter. The other three antibiotics used are Ampicilin, Oxacilin and
Vancomycin which shows no sign of inhibition.
Proteus vulgaris
Drug Used
Result
Zone of
Inhibition
Oxacilin
Kanamycin
Ampicilin
Vancomycin
Resistant
-
S or R
2.5 cm
Resistant
-
Resistant
-
Oxacilin, Ampicilin,
REFERENCES