Microbiology 2 in Sanskrit

In this blog, I will continue labeling microbiology terms into Sanskrit. I am a biological engineering major, so this blog post series was exciting for me to write. Microbiology is a vast field, meaning there is only so much I can cover in a single blog post. Here I am going to name the quick tests and make a sutra formulations for identifying common bacteria types. 

The KOH test is where you add a colony (सहनिवास​/बिन्दु) into Pottassium Hydroxide to see if they become slimy or not. If it is slimy then the bacteria is gram negative as the KOH can penetrate the thin cell wall and dissolve the bacteria structure. I will call it the "slimy test" or पिच्छिलपरीक्षा. The Catalase Test is to test for the presence of the catalase enzyme (प्रेरकावेजक​), which many bacteria have for breaking down toxic oxygen radicals. If there is catalase, then the H2O2 will bubble. I will call it the "bubble test" or बुद्बुदपरीक्षा. We call also say प्रेरकावेजक-परीक्षा. The Oxidase test sees if the bacteria posesses Cytochrome C Oxidase, which indicates they respirate aerobically. Oxidase will be जारकावेजक​, and the Oxidase test is thus जारकावेजक-परीक्षा. Bacteria that are aerobic will be जारकश्वासिन्, and the anaerobic bacteria will be अजारकश्वासिन्.

Now we culture bacteria in plates (पात्रकम्), which are filled with agar. Agar is a gel substance made from seaweed. The English word comes from the Malay word agar-agar, and I will borrow it directly from Malay (in the singular) as अगर​. Thus an agar plate is अगरपात्रकम्. Usually the agar is treated with media (अहाररस) tbat has a variety of components. Some media is selective (वर्जक​) allowing for one kind of bacteria to grow while excluding the rest. Media can also be differential (व्यञ्जक​), showing certain properties like lactose fermentation. 

Of the various media, here are some of the famous. MRS is used to culture gram positive bacteria, I will call it "brownish liquid agar" or पिङ्गलद्रवागर​. At this point, I find it easy to name the plates based on the media color. The red colored MacConkey used to select gram negative bacteria is अरुणद्रवागर​. The reddish brown EMB is appropriately कद्रुद्रवागर​. The MSA plate is pinkish orange normally but yellow when exposed to acid.I will call it पीतपाटलद्रवागर​. The PEA is blood red, on account of it haveing some blood. Thus रक्तद्रवागर​/शोणद्रवागर.​ This plate is for culturing Staphylococcus or सुगोलकाणु. The MSA plate is for Micrococcus or शूक्ष्मगोलकाणु. 

Bacteria can also be grown in test tubes (परीक्षानाली/नालपत्रकम्), and there are two media used that I want to highlight. BCP is a pH indicator dye used to see if bacteria can ferment glucose and make acid that turns it from purple to yellow. The abbreviation literally means Bromocresol Purple, and the molecule is a tryphenylmethane (त्रिचक्र्येकाङ्गरिन्). Thus त्रिचक्र्येकाङ्गरि-कषाय. A short hand is निर्देश​-कषाय​ or "indicator purple".​

With in the gram positive bacteria is Bascillus or सुवेत्रकाणु. When stressed they form heat resistant, chemical resistant, UV radiation resistant endospores. These are dry capsules of genetic material that will survive harsh conditions and become regular cells when things fo back to normal. I will calque them as "inside seed" or अन्तर्बीजकम्. 

Enteric and Pseudomonas are the gram negative in our lab. Of that, Pseudomonas is catalase positive. 

Rules:

vetrakāḥ suvetrako gudāvetrako vividhāvetrako kṣīrīyadaḥ.

golakās sugolakaś śūkṣmagolakaḥ kṣīrīyadaḥ

antravāsi-vividhavetrakau nirdarśyalepau. 

vividhavetraka-śūkṣmagolakau sajārakāvejakau 

sugolakāntravāsinau kadācij jārakaśvāsinau

kṣīrīyadas tv abudbudaḥ

kṣīrīyado'ntravāsī sugolakaḥ pītāḥ

piṅgalāruṇakādravam pītapāṭalam api ca. raktavarṇam tam agarān saṁsmarāmi bahuvidhān  

piṅgalāgare saindhavāyaścukrīyo nāvasāryanaimbavīyaḥ 

aruṇāgare mahānīlāruṇam pittalavaṇam 

raktāgare pracakrisumadyam bahulavaṇam

samotprasthodubjam sapiplugartam tathā unnatatvam

samasta-sapuṭa-salilavat-savakraparidhi-sakeśā iti paridhayaḥ 

Summary

Plates: पात्रकम्

Test Tubes: परीक्षानाली or नालपात्रकम्

Agar: अगर

Agar Plate: अगरपात्रकम्

MRS: पिङ्गलद्रवागर

MacConkey: अरुणद्रवागर

EMB: कद्रुद्रवागर

MSA: पीतपाटलद्रवागर

PEA: रक्तद्रवागर​ or शोणद्रवागर

BCP: त्रिचक्र्येकाङ्गरि-कषाय or निर्देश​-कषाय​ 

Colony: सहनिवास​ or बिन्दु

Staphyloccous: सुगोलकाणु

Micrococcus: शूक्ष्मगोलकाणु

Bascillus: सुवेत्रकाणु

Endospores: अन्तर्बीजकम्