Draft

The aim of this experiment was to observe biofilms microscopically by growing them on a slide using a process called slide culture. Using a technique called flow through Gram stain, the biofilms on the slides were kept wet to maintain their complex arrangement. Keeping biofilms wet is essential to preserving their structure, and allows them to be seen under a microscope. The inoculum for these slide cultures was obtained from two different sources. The first slide culture sample was taken from a pure culture of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This Gram negative, rod shaped bacteria is an excellent at forming biofilms, which contribute to its virulence in humans and animals. It was expected that P. aeruginosa would produce a thick, slimy, dense biofilm on the slide culture. It was also expected that extracellular polymer substance (EPS) would be able to be seen under the microscope.