7 Lab Safety, PPE, and Aseptic Techniques- GloGerm 9/9-9/15

Procedure:

1) Use GloGerm to Explore Decontamination & Aseptic Techniques

1. Come up with a procedure using GloGerm to explore decontamination techniques and household solutions. For example, you could use different types of hand sanitizer to see what is best at decontaminating the GloGerm.
2. Watch the video tutorial above for an example procedure.
3. Use the blue-light to examine how well the decontamination techniques you use work.
4. Take pictures of your results.
5. Use ethanol or bleach to clean your workstation when finished.

2) Practice Aseptic Techniques & Pipetting 

1. Using your p1000 pipette, aseptically transfer 1000 ul (1 mL) of your sterile DI water to your sterile BHI tube. Reference to the pipetting & graphing module for more information about pipetting. Avoid contamination by ensuring your space is sterilized and your pipette tip does not touch anything other than your samples.
2. Pipette up and down to mix.
3. Store your BHI at room temperature and monitor for the next 48 hours.
4. Determine whether or not your sample was contaminated. Discuss results in your ELN.

Results:

1. Aseptic techniques are essential in microbiology to prevent contamination of cultures and laboratory environments. These practices ensure that only the intended microorganisms grow, allowing for accurate and reliable experimental results. Contamination can lead to misidentification of microbes, inaccurate conclusions, and potential health risks to lab personnel. Common causes of contamination include using unsterilized equipment, improper handling or storage of cultures, and exposure to airborne microorganisms. Maintaining aseptic conditions minimizes the risk of introducing pathogenic microbes into the lab, which is crucial for the safety of both the researchers and the surrounding environment. One way to reinforce the importance of aseptic techniques is through experiments like the GloGerm test, which simulates the spread of contamination. By applying a fluorescent substance to the hands and examining the removal effectiveness under UV light, the GloGerm experiment demonstrates how well hand-washing can decontaminate surfaces. The results typically show that while washing with soap and water reduces contamination, some traces may remain, emphasizing the need for thorough and consistent hygiene practices. Sharing the results of such experiments helps educate others about the significance of proper decontamination techniques, which are vital in both laboratory settings and everyday life to prevent the spread of harmful microorganisms. In my GloGerm experiment, I found that washing hands with soap and water is the most effective form of cleaning your hands.

1. After 48 hours of incubation, the BHI tube remained clear with no visible growth or turbidity, indicating that no contamination occurred. This suggests that the aseptic technique during pipetting was effective, and the DI water used was sterile. The results emphasize the importance of proper aseptic procedures, such as sterilizing equipment and avoiding contact with non-sterile surfaces, to maintain the integrity of the experiment. If contamination had been observed, it could point to errors in sterilization or accidental exposure to non-sterile surfaces. Overall, the results highlight the significance of aseptic techniques in ensuring accurate and reliable outcomes in microbiological experiments.