S-STEM Scholar Madi Cook's Blog

 After incubating the pH range of 6,7, and 8 the cells were gram stained after 24 hrs along with a plain TGY broth containing Sonora for a comparison and all of the flasks were homogenized strangely enough. The morphology was still irregular as if the cells were still dying. The gram stains albeit were not completely viable, as there was a variable gram negative to gram positive ratio. The OD values were taken as well, and the results were also varied as pictured below.

 In order to move forward with determining how to breakdown Sonora's persistent biofilm, a trial run of using varying pH values (pH 6, 7, 8) with 20mMolar MOPS buffers in TGY broth were made. Upon inoculating Sonora and incubating in the -30 degree shaking incubator for 72hrs, all of the flasks of varying pH had homogenized Sonora. The gram stains had revealed that it was in fact Sonora, yet the morphology was irregular as if the cells were dying. Going forward the trial will be adjusted to a incubation time of 24hrs rather than 72hrs in order to determine if it is the buffers that are effecting the cells or simply the incubation time.