Expt #6

Date: 22nd November,2018.

Title: Planning and Designing #1- Alcohol concentration in infection prevention hand gels

Hypothesis: A hand gel containing 60% alcohol will be able to inhibit the growth of Streptococcus
bacterium.

Aim: To plan and design an experiment to determine the minimum concentration of ethanol that is
needed to inhibit the growth of a specific bacterium.

Materials and Apparatus:

Hand gels with various concentrations of alcohol (40% - 90%), streptococcus bacterium, 6 microscope
slides, 6 cover slips, incubator, 6 petri dishes, cotton swabs, 1% methylene blue, light microscope, agar.

Variables:

Controlled Variable: The amount of streptococcus bacterium added to each petri dish, the amount of
agar added to each petri dish.

Independent Variable: The concentration of alcohol present in the various of hand gels

Dependent Variable: The amount of bacterium cells presents after the addition of hand gels

Procedure:

1. Add agar to each petri dish.

2. Add streptococcus bacterium to petri dishes by using cotton swabs. Apply in a zig zag pattern in
the dish.
3. Add the various types of hand gel to their respective petri dishes. Label the petri dishes
according to the concentration of alcohol present in the hand gel.
4. Place in the incubator for 48 hours.
5. Using cotton swabs, collect samples from each petri dish and place them on microscope slides.
6. Add a drop of methylene blue to each sample.
7. Observe slides under the light microscope, first under scanning power then low power.
8. Count and record the amount of bacterium cells present on the slide.
9. Plot a graph of the amount of bacterium cells versus the concentration of alcohol present in the
sample.

Expected Results

Concentration of alcohol in the hand gel Number of bacterium cells

40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
 (INSERT GRAPH HERE)

Treatment of Results:

Alcohols dissolve the phospholipid bilayer present in the bacteria’s cell surface membrane. As a result,
all organelles enclosed within the cell are leaked out causing the bacteria to die.

To inhibit the growth and reproduction of bacteria, the alcohol concentration present within the hand
gels must be high. It is expected that the minimum concentration of alcohol required in a hand gel to
inhibit the growth of bacteria is 50%. This type of formula shows that the composition of hand gel is
majorly comprised of only alcohol, giving enough alcohol molecules to dissolve the cell surface
membrane present in the bacteria.

Assumption: It is assumed that agar present in the experiment will provide a natural environment for
bacterial growth, just as if it was on a surface area.

Precaution: There is a possibility of miscounting the number of bacterial cells present on the slide. To
minimize the occurrence of this error, cells can be counted from one side of the slide to the other side,
in one direction.

Limitation: An equal amount of bacteria can not be added to each petri dish.