Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural

Resources

Department of Biological Sciences

BSB 322; GENERAL MICROBIOLOGY

GROUP; THURSDAY 4-6PM

NAME; TABANE GM

ID NUMBER ;202100331

DATE; 23/03/2023
UBIQUITY OF BACTERIA

Aim; The purpose of the experiment was to find out that micro-organisms are found
everywhere.

INTRODUCTION

Ubiquity means that something can be found everywhere, and some studies view
them as the bases of life. Microorganisms can be found everywhere including in
human bodies both inside and outside of our bodies.

Microorganisms are ubiquitous in all kinds of micro and macro-ecology environments

on each. They can survive even in inhospitable environments, where conditions
cannot support more complex organisms’ mammals and men.
Bacteria grow exponentially and adapt quickly to the environment. Several past
actions of humans over the environment have resulted in extreme reactions from
microbiome. Numerous interactions between microorganisms have been detected and
classified. Any interaction with the environment is bound to result, eventually in
alterations of the word’s MICROBIOME.

Microorganisms are ubiquitous in most environment of the earth, the simple

procedure of exposing an open Petri dish with rich culture medium in a room where
there are enough human movement and interaction may reveal the growth o0f dozens
of bacteria and fungi upon overnight incubation. Some microorganisms are vital to the
production of food stuffs, some infecting microorganisms can produce distinct smell.

Potential pathogenic bacteria can hide in all environments, they survive in our air
conditioning systems. All of them are potential agents of human infection. However,
what we need to be conscious about is that all those being are a part of complex
ecosystem upon which have been and are a strong influence. It is relatively easy to
keep microorganisms away from the air of an or to sterilise surgical materials
temporarily .

MATERIALS
 Hand sanitizer
 Hand soap
 2 sterile agar plates
For in animate surfaces
 Small vial of sterile phosphate buffered saline.
 Sterile cotton tipped applicator or swab.
 Micropipette
 Glass rod or metal streaking “hockey “stick
 70% ethanol
 Bunsen burner
 Sterile agar plate
For airborne contamination
 Sterile plate agar
For pond water
 Pond water
 Sterile agar plate
 Glass rod
 Alcohol
For soil
 Sterile agar plate
 Glass rod
 Alcohol

PROCEDURE
A line was drawn on the bottom of the plate. Before washing hands 3 fingers were
pressed firmly onto the agar in the plates.

For inanimate surfaces

The vail of PBS was carefully opened and the head of the swab was dipped into the
PBS. A moist swab was used to swab different places that humans normally encounter
during lab experiments. This included the sink, bench, and table. After swabbing the
swab was then sterilized and the vail was replaced and was disposed properly. The
agar plate was placed upside down on top of the bench. A sterile pipette tip was
inserted into the vail and aspirate 0.1ml of the PBS. The pipette was removed from
the vail, the cap was replaced and set aside. The lid of the petri dish was held at an
angle while opening and slowly the liquid from the pipette was dispensed into the
plate and the lid was replaced. The glass rod was sterilized by submerging into
ethanol and passing it in the flame lit on the Bunsen burner. The sterile rod was then
used to evenly spread the PBS on the surface of the agar and the rod was sterilized
again after spreading. The petri dish was incubated for 24hrs at 37 ° C . The colony
growth was then observed.

Airborne contamination
The agar plate was placed upside down outside and inside the laboratory. The lid was
removed from the plate and set aside. The agar surface was left exposed to air for an
hour. The lid was replaced. And the plate was incubated for 24hrs at 37 ° c . The
colony growth was observed.

Pond water
Agar plate was placed upside down. A sterile pipette was used to dispense 1ml of
pond water into the agar in a minimally opened plate. The lid was replaced. The rod
was sterilized and used to spread the water on the agar. The plate was incubated for
24hrs at 37° C . Colony growth was then observed.

Soil
The agar plate was placed with agar side down and was minimally opened. Using a
sterile pipette 1ml of soil water was dispensed into the agar and the lid was replaced.
Sterilized rod was used to evenly spread the soil water on the agar. The plate was then
incubated for 24hrs at 37° C . The colony growth was then observed.

RESULTS

Pictures of the plates after 24 hours

Figure 1: Colonies of microbes obtained from unwashed hands, cellphone, and air
inside and outside inside the biochemistry laboratory.
Much growth detected from air outside the lab. Minimal growth following swab from
cell phone.
Figure 2: Colonies of microbes obtained from morula juice soil sample and pond
water. A lot of microorganisms detected from pond water compared to that of morula
juice and soil sample.
DISCUSSION

Air inside and outside the biochemistry laboratory, air outside the lab showed a lot of
colony growth compared to air inside the lab due to biosafety guidelines which have
been developed for safe handling of microorganisms in the lab, laboratory
workbenches are disinfected regularly with 70% ethanol, working surfaces and
equipment’s are sterilised. The lab windows are always closed to reduce
contamination.

Cell phone showed a lot of colony growth because we speak into our phones
regularly, depositing microbes via droplets. We often have them while eating leading
to deposit of nutrients that helps microbes thrive. They are used in bathrooms and
toilets, mostly they are carried everywhere, and this places often provide a
temperature-controlled environment that helps pathogen survive, on top of that we
rarely clean or disinfect them.

Unwashed hands of a person showed minimal colony growth, unwashed hands are a
conduit for exchanging microorganisms between the environment and the body. The
microbes of the hands are critical vector for transmitting microorganisms between
people, pest’s inanimate objects and our environments.

Pond water showed a lot of colony growth compared to soil sample and morula juice
because there are many thousands of types of bacteria and microorganisms found in
pound water. Pond water composition may be murky if it has a high number of
suspended particles and organisms. Its bottom is usually sediments of sand, decaying
matter and microorganisms. Many things are everyday microorganisms that are found
everywhere. Ponds may however be contaminated by direct excretion from fishers or
users (Hoseinzadeh et al.,2013).

CONCLUSION

Microbes are found everywhere, each man carries his bacteria, whose numbers are
bearing a logarithmic relationship to the total number of his cells. They are kept under
control by our immunity.
REFERENCES

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Okagbue, R. N., & Siwela, M. (2002). Yeasts and related microorganisms isolated
from ripe marula fruits (Sclerocarya caffra) in Zimbabwe: research in action. South
African journal of science, 98(11), 551-552.

de Araujo, V. L. (2019). The Ubiquity of Microorganisms in Earth’s’ Ecology. ACTA

scientific microbiology.

Gupta, A., Gupta, R., & Singh, R. L. (2017). Microbes and environment. Principles
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