Madeleine Lopez

BIO-205

September 20, 2020

Parveen Shaik

The Ubiquity and Dissemination of Microbes Lab Report

Aim: The objective of this lab is to prove that microorganisms are ubiquitous.

Materials

1. Two (2) trypticase soy agar (TSA) plates

2. 2. Gloves

3. 3. Four (4) sterile swabs

4. 4. One (1) sterile water test tube

Procedures

1. Divide Petri plate 1 (inanimate surfaces)- Label the petri plates faucet, doorknob, toilet

seat, and floor. When labeling the plates, make sure do write the names on the bottom of

the plate and along the edge of the plate.

2. Open the sterile swab container and take out the sterile swab out of the container by the

wooden stick end.

3. Wet the sterile swab in sterile water. Make sure to remove excess moisture from the stick

by pressing it against the walls.

 4. Take the wet swab and rub it over the surface that is selected. Then take it and gently

swab the designated plate.

5. Make sure to use separate swabs for each surface in order to avoid cross-contamination.

The swabs can be thrown away in the regular trashcan.

6. Divide Petri plate 2 (animate sources) – Label the plates armpit, toe, hair, and face.

7. Repeat steps 1-5.

8. The swabs used for the animate sources should be thrown way in the designated

biohazard trashcan.

9. Cover and invert plates at 37°C for 48 hours. Note: The plates are inverted so that the

condensation of water does not drip on the growing microbial, which can cause the

microbial colonies to merge.

10. Observe the growth of the microbial colonies and record the results.

Results:
In this photo, it is the results of the inanimate sources. It can be seen that the toilet seat and

doorknob had no microorganism colonies growing. But the floor and faucet had a big number of

microorganism colonies growing.

In this photo, it is the results of the animate sources. It can be seen that the hair and armpit had

no microorganism colonies growing. But the toe and face had a small number of microorganisms

growing.

Discussion:

Ubiquity can be defined as being present everywhere. In relation to this lab, it means that

microorganisms are present everywhere.

Fomites can be defined as areas or objects where microorganisms grow and spread to

other areas. This is significant because microorganisms are ubiquitous so they can spread easily

through fomites thus spreading diseases.

 The faucet and floor had the most microorganism growth due to constantly being

touched. Students are constantly touching the faucet to wash their hands or clean instruments,

especially in a lab. The floor is not cleaned everyday or every minute someone walks on it.

Shoes can be carrying many microorganisms thus spreading it upon the floor. Someone’s face

and toes had the most microorganism growth due to constant touch. Students are always

touching their face, which leads to microorganisms being spread. Someone’s toes can have

microorganism growth due them sweating and the feet in shoes most of the time.

Nosocomial infection is an infection or toxin that is contracted in a hospital setting. Due

to this hand washing is important because it can prevent the disease entering the body. It is also a

heathy habit to install because people are constantly touching their face, which can make it easier

for the disease to enter the body and infect someone.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy

Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a

price. So, glorify God in your body.” This can be connected to microbiology because we must

make sure to take care of ourselves by washing our hands and avoiding hand to face contact. God

wants us to protect our bodies but if we are constantly touching are face then we are increasing

the chance of a microorganism entering our body and causing an infection.

Conclusion

The purpose of this lab was to prove that microorganisms are ubiquitous. As seen in the

results, microorganisms are present everywhere and on certain fomites, some microorganisms

grow more than on other fomites. This is important in my life because some microorganisms are

dangerous and since they are present everywhere, without proper hand washing, it can be easy to

contract one and become sick from it.