Skip to main content

Fall 2023: Week 9

Hi Everyone, In the lovely picture above, I compare suspended bacteria to a "standard" called 0.5 McFarland standard. It's supposed to help guestimate the amount of colony-forming bacteria per milliliter. IT HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT PAIN IN THE BEHIND. First, it took a lot of work to understand exactly what the McFarland standard was. Josh and I tried ignoring it (1. because we didn't have it, 2. because what is it?), but it kept popping up in the research articles I had been reading. Eventually, we decided to ask our nearest microbiologist, Dr. Robinson. Turns out she also had no idea what this "standard" was. So we had it ordered, just to see that it's a little tube and card (smh). I don't think it made a significant difference in my research. However, for the purpose of science, it was nice to have. Based on the standard, there is around 5x10^5 colony forming units/ml in the bacteria tube.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fall 2024-Week 13

Hi everyone, I hope everyone had an ejoyable thanksgiving.There isn't much for me to say. I was able to finish my experiments before leaving for vacation last week. I plan on analyzing my results and finishing my research paper. I also plan to work on the final presentation. This week was also my last week for the organic chemistry lab and lecture. I'll be taking the organic chemistry final on monday so wish me luck.
Post a Comment
Read more

Fall-2024 Week 7

Staphylococcus aureus is considered one of the most prevalent pathogens in hospital-related infections. This strain of Staphylococcus are apart of the human microbiota, and they can contaminate medical instruments and implants and cause infections. (Chessa et al., 2016) Certain strains of Staphylococcus Aureus have gained the ability to resist the antibiotic methicillin. This strain is known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). (Kot et al., 2020) Due to the increased emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, finding new ways to combat these pathogens has become essential. Their ability to form biofilms makes each of these bacteria difficult. Biofilm formation is one of the leading contributors to antibiotic resistance and hospital-related infections. The biofilm allows bacteria to stick and multiply on medical instruments. Biofilms comprise extracellular polymeric substance (EPS), S. Epidermis, and S. Aureus biofilms, which are polysaccharides, amyloids, and pro...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fall 2024-Week 6

Hi, everyone; this week has been quite busy in the lab. For the past few weeks, I've been repeating subculture due to not having enough time to do an experiment. This week, I finally had the time. I'll be completing a biofilm formation assay. It's extremely similar to what I did last year but with some tweaking. Outside of the lab, I've put my creative ideas to use for decorating for Halloween. I've also been putting some ideas to use for the robotics club and the Halloween ball. I'm super excited to see how everything will come out.
Post a Comment
Read more