Is E. coli indole-positive?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking whether Escherichia coli (E. coli) can produce indole, which is a compound formed by the degradation of the amino acid tryptophan. In microbiology, this characteristic is tested through specific biochemical tests.
Answer
Yes
The final answer is Yes
Answer for screen readers
The final answer is Yes
More Information
The indole test is commonly used to identify bacteria including E. coli. This test detects the presence of the enzyme tryptophanase, which breaks tryptophan down into indole, pyruvate, and ammonia. Most strains of E. coli are indole-positive, meaning they produce indole.
Tips
A common mistake is to misinterpret the color change during the indole test; a pink or red color indicates a positive result for indole production.
Sources
- Indole Test - American Society for Microbiology - asm.org
- Indole Can Act as an Extracellular Signal in Escherichia coli - NCBI - ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Indole test - Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org
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