Running header: MICROBES ALL AROUND US

Microbes All Around Us

Curtis Jones
ITT-Technical Institute
SC2730
February 12, 2015

MICROBES ALL AROUND US

Microbes All Around Us

Introduction:
This was an experiment done at our school to show that there are microbes of all kinds present
on surfaces that appear to be clean. Even after someone that goes around cleaning things and
only wipes down the visible surface, microbes are still able to thrive in the smallest areas that
may be unreachable or even areas that were not given a thought to clean.
Materials:
Trypticase Soy Agar Plate (TSA), Sharpie Marker, Sterile Cotton Swabs (4), Disposable Gloves
Method:
1. With a sharpie marker, draw equal quarters on the underside of the TSA plate
2. Label each quarter with location to be tested.
a. Computer Lab Mouse Wheel
b. Reception Area Phone Receiver
c. Microwave Oven Handle (underside facing the unit)
d. Change dispenser on vending machine (machine closest to windows)
3. While wearing gloves, take sterile swabs (unopened) to location a (see above)
4. Open sterile swab
5. Run swab along the sides of the mouse wheel
6. Immediately smear swab on TSA plate in appropriated marked quarter
7. Replace swab in original wrapping
8. Repeat steps 3-7 for remaining locations b,c,d
9. Dispose of all used swabs appropriately
10. Cover TSA plate and place into incubator
11. Return after one week and record results
Results:
After allowing the cultures to grow for one weeks time, 3 of the 4 quarters showed significant
growth. The fourth quarter is undetermined due to overgrowth from another quarter on the plate.
Location 1 (mouse wheel in the computer lab) shows no significant growth but contains
overgrowth from location 3 (microwave handle). Location 2 (phone receiver) shows numerous
spots of growth. Each round spot seems to be white in color with a lighter more translucent ring
around each colony. Location 3 (microwave handle) shows one large round colony of growth.
The colony appears to be off-white in color with two white spots that contain a translucent ring
around them. Location 4 (change dispenser) shows a multitude of growth spots. Three spots
show an off-white color with translucent ring, two larger round spots appear bright yellow in
color, and one large spot appears off-white in color with rounded edges but not in uniform shape
and contains web-like striations (starting from the center cluster and spacing out towards the
edges. (See pictures below)

MICROBES ALL AROUND US

Microbes All Around Us

(Underside of TSA plate showing each quartered section with location name)

(Top down view of TSA plate)

MICROBES ALL AROUND US

Microbes All Around Us
Discussion:

Having watched the cleaning crew go throughout the facility cleaning while we took each swab
sample, it was amazing to see growth obtained of each culture. While obtaining the swab sample
from the mouse wheel, the visible debris was much more evident than the other samples,
however yielded no definable growth. It is very concerning that even after a professional
cleaning crew does there cleaning responsibilities, there are microbes still able to hide in small
areas and grow exponentially over just a few days.
Conclusion:
Different microbes can grow in many places that you would never expect. I would have like to
be able to place each sample on its own individual plate so there would be no potential
overgrowth into any of the quartered sections. It would also be interesting to take a new swab
sample of the same location every 24 hours for seven days in order to see if there is a change in
any of the cleaning habits. It is very interesting to see that what appears to be clean may not
really be.