The Effectiveness of Antiseptics on Protein Synthesis of Escherichia Coli
Mentor Information
James Riordan (Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology)
Description
Escherichia coli is a gram-negative bacterial organism that is found in the intestines of humans and animals, and is an important part in digestion. However, there are pathogenic strains of E. coli that can cause illness within or outside the intestinal tract. For example, a common infection of the intestines is gastroenteritis, which results in abdominal pain when pathogenic strains of E. coli enter the intestinal tract. These types of infections can be detrimental to one’s health, and it is imperative to understand how these infections from this particular bacteria can be prevented; therefore, this study focuses on understanding why and which antiseptics are most effective. The different antiseptics were hydrogen peroxide, isopropyl alcohol, ethanol and povidone-iodine, in which chads were dipped into these solutions, then placed on the petri dishes with E. coli. As antiseptics prevent bacterial growth, the chads produced a zone of inhibition, thus, the height and width of these zones were measured to analyze the results. The data confirmed the hypothesis that there would be a statistically significant difference between each antiseptic and control group. The isopropyl alcohol had the largest zone of inhibition, displaying that this antiseptic is most effective in preventing the protein synthesis of the E. coli to inhibit growth. These findings are significant because it enhances our knowledge on the most effective type of antiseptic that can be used to prevent an E. coli infection when soap and water are not available.
The Effectiveness of Antiseptics on Protein Synthesis of Escherichia Coli
Escherichia coli is a gram-negative bacterial organism that is found in the intestines of humans and animals, and is an important part in digestion. However, there are pathogenic strains of E. coli that can cause illness within or outside the intestinal tract. For example, a common infection of the intestines is gastroenteritis, which results in abdominal pain when pathogenic strains of E. coli enter the intestinal tract. These types of infections can be detrimental to one’s health, and it is imperative to understand how these infections from this particular bacteria can be prevented; therefore, this study focuses on understanding why and which antiseptics are most effective. The different antiseptics were hydrogen peroxide, isopropyl alcohol, ethanol and povidone-iodine, in which chads were dipped into these solutions, then placed on the petri dishes with E. coli. As antiseptics prevent bacterial growth, the chads produced a zone of inhibition, thus, the height and width of these zones were measured to analyze the results. The data confirmed the hypothesis that there would be a statistically significant difference between each antiseptic and control group. The isopropyl alcohol had the largest zone of inhibition, displaying that this antiseptic is most effective in preventing the protein synthesis of the E. coli to inhibit growth. These findings are significant because it enhances our knowledge on the most effective type of antiseptic that can be used to prevent an E. coli infection when soap and water are not available.
