Stephen+Vega's+ISP

=What areas around Washington Community High School have the most bacteria?=

This experiment is being done to learn where disease prevention efforts can be most beneficial.


 * Process** = swab 10 areas around the school (front door handle, a phone, a locker, locker room, somewhere in the lunch room, bathroom sink knob, water fountain, a computer, a desk, stair railing) then grow the bacteria to see what area has the most bacteria. Once that is done a conclusion then presentation will be made.

Hypothesis: If this experiment was done properly the bathroom sink knob will have the most bacteria.

x12 swabs x12 petri dishes agar media camera marker
 * Materials needed**:


 * Limitations**: preparing and swabbing the dished wasn't in a completely sanitary area. Also, the technique for measuring the bacteria want the most accurate.

In conclusion doing this experiment and acting on it can help prevent the spread of disease and illness.

Stair railing, front door handle, bathroom sink knob, computer, water fountain, locker, a phone, lunch room door, locker room locker, a desk.
 * Data**: areas with most bacteria(roughly) from most to least:
 * Updated data:** Front door handle: 11 sq cm of bacteria, phone: 8 sq cm, locker:6, locker room:4 lunch room door handle 6, bathroom sink knob:26, water fountain: 3.5, computer 6, desk:5, stair railing:19

(Why not also research what is the most effective for killing the more prominent bacteria? Miles Howley) (Good idea. Vega) (Are you looking for a specific kind of bacteria, or just bacteria in general? How are you going to tell the "good" bacteria from the "bad" bacteria when you find it? I'd assume most of it's bad, but the kinds of good bacteria might be worth looking into. Lily Holmes) (Im just looking for bacteria in general. Identifying the bacteria would be to complex for this specific experiment. Thanks for the advice. Vega)


 * Background information**

“Three common bacteria in schools are staphylococcus, streptococcus, and e colli” ( Dr. Tim Vega)

// Streptococcus comes from peoples skin, intestines, mouth, nose, reproductive tract, or urinary tract. // //Primary strep infections invade healthy tissue, and most of the time affects the throat. Secondary strep infections invade tissue already weakend by injury or illness. They frequently affect the bones, ears, joints, or intestines//. ( Haggerty, Maureen. "Streptococcal Infections." //The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine //. 3rd ed. Vol. 4. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 3552-3554. //Gale Virtual Reference Library //. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. Document URL http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3451601550&v=2.1&u=washington_chs&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w)

//E // //. // //coli // //(Escherichia // //coli // //) // produce toxins that have a wide range of effects. Symptoms caused by some //E // //. // //<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">coli // <span style="color: #555555; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">infections range from mild to severe, bloody diarrhea, acute abdominal pain**,** vomiting**,** and fever**.** <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Granger, Jill, and David Kaminstein. "Escherichia Coli." ( //<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine //<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">. 3rd ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 1376-1379. //<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Gale Virtual Reference Library //<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Document URL <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3451600600&v=2.1&u=washington_chs&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w)

<span style="color: #555555; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Because <span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">of <span style="color: #555555; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;"> their intestinal origin, e coli-related illness is often the result <span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">of <span style="color: #555555; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;"> contamination with feces (this is commonly described as fecal-oral transmission). Several e coli illnesses are <span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">spread <span style="color: #555555; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;"> by fecal-oral transmission and are associated with poor hygienic conditions. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (Frey, Rebecca J. "(Enterobacterial Infections." //<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine //<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">. 3rd ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 1338-1341. //<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Gale Virtual Reference Library //<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.) Document URL <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3451600580&v=2.1&u=washington_chs&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w)

===<span style="color: #555555; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Thorough cooking of all meat and poultry products, adhering to proper food preparation, and proper hygiene are the most effective ways to avoid infection. === <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">(Granger, Jill, and David Kaminstein. "Escherichia Coli." //<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine //<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">. 3rd ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 1376-1379. //<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Gale Virtual Reference Library //<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. Document URL  <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3451600600&v=2.1&u=washington_chs&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w)

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">Another important use for hypochlorite (bleach) is as a sanitizer or <span class="hitHighlite" style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif; vertical-align: baseline;">disinfectant <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">. Both of these uses rely on the hypochlorite’s ability to destroy microorganisms. The same oxidative mechanism responsible for hypochlorite’s bleaching ability also makes it an effective germicide. "Sodium Hypochlorite." // The Gale Encyclopedia of Science //. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. 4th ed. Vol. 5. Detroit: Gale, 2008. 3985-3986. // Gale Virtual Reference Library //. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif; vertical-align: baseline;">Document URL http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX2830102137&v=2.1&u=washington_chs&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif; vertical-align: baseline;"> Impetigo is a skin infection that tends primarily to afflict children. Impetigo caused by the bacterium // Staphylococcus aureus // (also known as staph) affects children of all ages. Impetigo caused by the bacteria called group A streptococci (also know as strep) are most common in children ages two to five.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #555555; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline;"> The bacteria that cause impetigo are very contagious. They can be spread by a child from one part of his or her body to another by scratching, or contact with a towel, clothing, or stuffed animal. These same methods can pass the bacteria on from one person to another.

Impetigo tends to develop in areas of the skin that have already been damaged through some other mechanism (a cut or scrape, burn, insect bite, or vesicle from ** chickenpox ** ).

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;">The first sign of bullous impetigo is a large bump on the skin with a clear, fluid-filled top (called a vesicle). The bump develops a scab-like, honey-colored crust. There is usually no redness or **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif; vertical-align: baseline;">pain, **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;"> although the area may be quite itchy. Ultimately, the skin in this area will become dry and flake away. Bullous impetigo is usually caused by staph bacteria.

Prevention involves good hygiene. Handwashing; never sharing towels or clothing; and keeping fingernails well-trimmed are easy precautions to take to avoid spreading the infection from one person to another.

Carson-DeWitt, Rosalyn. "Impetigo." // The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine //. 3rd ed. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 1985-1986. // Gale Virtual Reference Library //. Web. 12 Dec. 2012.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif; vertical-align: baseline;">Document URL http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3451600870&v=2.1&u=washington_chs&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w

There are several ways to help prevent the spread of staphylococcal infections:
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Washing hands with warm water and antibacterial soap before eating and after using the toilet or touching the nose
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Washing any cuts, scrapes, or open sores
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Showering, rather than bathing, in order to reduce the risk of spreading the infection to other parts of the body
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Using separate towels, washcloths, bed linens, and other related materials from other members of a household, and laundering them daily in hot water and bleach
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Not sharing brushes, combs, clothing, and other personal items
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; background-color: transparent; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Keeping wounds covered with a clean bandage after applying an antiseptic

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #555555; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline;"> "Staphylococcal Infections." // Human Diseases and Conditions //. Ed. Miranda Herbert Ferrara. 2nd ed. Vol. 4. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2010. 1572-1578. // Gale Virtual Reference Library //. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif; vertical-align: baseline;">Document URL http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX2830200404&v=2.1&u=washington_chs&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w