James Rutherford

Microbes All Around Us Lab

Some times We dont relaize what is on the surfaces around us. There are so many
different types of micrcobes living in and on the sufaces we touch everyday. So in our
Microbiology class we decided to test some samples and see what is living on the surfaces
around us.
Materials:
1. TSA media plate
2. Sharpy
3. 4 sterial swaps
Methods:
1. With a Sharpie marker, draw equal quarters on the underside of the TSA plate
2.

Label each quarter with each location to be tested

a.

Door handle

b.

Computer Keyboard

c.

Water foutain

d.

Toilet

3.

While wearing gloves, take sterile swabs (unopened) to location "a" (see above).

4.

Open sterile swab

5.

Run swab along the sides of the mouse wheel

6.

Immediately smear swab on TSA plate in appropriate quarter

7.

Replace swab in original wrapping

8.

Repeat Steps 3-7 for each location

9.

Dispose of used swabs appropriately

10.

Cover TSA plate and place in incubator

11.

Return after one week and record results

We definetly grew some kind of bacteria on all the suefcaces we cultured excepted the
door handle. I would imgaine it had just been cleaned without us knowing otherwise we would
have grown something. I was surprised to see nothing growing on the door handle sample. I

think the handle had to have been wiped clean to get no growth. The other samples grew bactera
as I would have thought they would have.
In conclution, I think I would have tried to find out if aanything was cleaned recently
before swabing it for a sample. Cleaning surfaces destroies any bacteria on the surface and you
wont be able to activly grow any bacteria. The only other thing I would have liked to do is try
and find out what it was that grew. I enjoied this experiment a lot so I wouldnt change much
about it.