Battle of the Sexes: Bacteria in Bathrooms

This topic submitted by Gretchen Culbertson, Leslie Marticke, Jamie Lipps, Britni Rex ( culberge@muohio.edu, marticlb@muohio.edu, jmcl00@homtail.com ) on 10/7/04 .

Natural Systems 1 Syllabus---Western Program---Miami University

Introduction:

a) The purpose of this lab is to determine the amount and/or type of bacteria present in college campus bathrooms, and if there is a difference in the amount and/or type of bacteria present between male and female bathrooms. Our null hypothesis is that we expect to find the same amount of bacteria present in both male and female bathrooms; and there will be the same amount of bacteria on all parts of the sink. Some questions we will be asking throughout this experiment are; what types of bacteria, and in what amounts, are present in college dormitory bathrooms? What effects do these types of bacteria have on the human body? Are they harmless? Are they deadly? Does the difference in personal hygiene among male and females result in a larger amount of bacteria? We predict that since we will be collecting samples from the bathroom sinks; faucet, handles, and basin, we hypothesize there will be a greater amount of bacteria on the sink fixtures because it is where the majority of human interaction occurs. In addition, we hypothesize there will be a difference in the type of bacteria present in male as opposed to female bathrooms because we feel females have a greater sense of hygiene.
b) Our interest in this topic derived from our change in environment of personal bathrooms to public bathrooms. As college students, we are susceptible to various forms of bacteria, which put us at risk for infection. We want to protect ourselves and others from potentially harmful types of bacteria, if any at all exist in dormitory bathrooms.
c) We plan to distinguish between different forms of bacteria and identify the places where it is most prevalent in bathroom sinks. Through our extensive data collections, we hope to determine a difference in the amount of bacteria between male and female restrooms.
d) We encounter various forms and bacteria consistently in our everyday lives. However, we are na•ve to the potential risks that bacteria evoke. It will be interesting to note a difference in the amount of bacteria, if any, between the sexes.

Background Information
Bacteria are single celled microorganisms that eat anything from sugar and starch, to sunlight, sulfur and iron. They are among the earliest life forms, and are thought to have appeared billions of years ago. Bacteria create atmospheric oxygen that enables other forms to develop, such as mitochondria, which are responsible for creating energy for body cells. Most bacteria are moderately harmless, in that they make medicine, break down oil from oil spills, make about half the oxygen we breathe, and they are the main foundation of the food chain that feeds all life on earth. Bacteria form in 1 out of 3 shapes from rod or stick-shaped bacilli, to little balls called cocci. They live in or on every part of earth from soil, to water, to air, and absorb food from every part of it. Finally, bacteria grow best in darkness because ultra violet rays are lethal. With this knowledge, we will be able to create a more successful lab experiment.

a) Sources
www.microbes.info
-Introduction to microbes.
www.cellsalive.com
- Descriptions, pictures, and definitions.
www.microbe.org/microbes/bacterium1.asp
-Background information and definitions.
www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacteria/bacterialh.html
-Additional links and resources.
www.earthlife.net/prokaryotes/bacteria.html
-Pictures, "friends and enemies," and diseases.

Bakalar, Nicholas. Where the Germs are: a scientific safari. Hoboken, N.J.:Wiley, 2003
-Microorganisms, bacteria, and germ theory of disease.
Berg, Howard C. E.Coli in Motion. New York: Springer, 2004
-Microogransims, motility, and e.coli
Cossart, Pascale. Cellular Microbiology. Washington, D.C. : ASM Press, 2000
-Cell biology: An overview, bacterial adherence to surfaces, bacterial toxins, and infection.
Dyer, Betsey Dextes. A Field Guide to Bacteria. Ithaca, N.Y. : Cornell University Press, 2003
-Bacteriodes,gliders, and their relatives.
Godish, That. Indoor Environmental Quality. Boca Raton, Fl. : Lewis Publishers, 2001
-Indoor air pollution, housing and health, and industrial hygiene.
Krasher, Robert I. The Microbial Challenge: Human Microbe Interactions. Washington, D.C. : ASM Press, 2002
-The beneficial aspects of microbes, bacterial diseases, and the immune response.
Majerus, Michael E.N. Sex Wars: Genes, Bacteria, and Biased Sex Ratios. Princeton, N.J. : Princeton Univeristy Press, 2003
-Sex ratio, and host bacteria relationships
Mulchandani, A., O. Sadik. Chemical and Biological Sensors for Environmental Monitoring. Washington, D.C. : American Chemical Society, 2000
-Chemical detectors and environmental monitoring.
Ofek, I., D. Hasty, R. Doyle. Bacterial Adhesion to Animal Cells and Tissues. Washington, D.C. : ASM Press, 2003
-Basic concepts in bacterial adhesions.
Raineri, Deanna. Introduction to Molecular Biology. Malden, MA.: Blackwell Science, 2001.
-Illustrations, questions, and answers.
Reeve, Eric. Encyclopedia of Gentics. London: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2001 -Genetics of bacteria and viruses.
Walters, Mark Jerome. Six Modern Plagues and Now We Are Causing Them. Washington: Island Press/Shearwater Books, 2003
-Salmonella, the travels of antibiotic resistance, and environmental health.
Wilson, M., R. McNab, B. Henderson. Bacterial Disease Mechanisms: An Introduction to Cellular Microbiology. Cambridge, N.Y. : Cambridge University Press, 2002
-An introduction to bacterial diseases, immune defenses against bacteria, and bacteria in human health and disease

b) If we are more intellectually attuned to the amount and/or types of bacteria our bodies encounter on a daily basis, we may be able to protect ourselves against unwanted infections. We may also be more likely to partake in precautionary measures against bacterial infections such as hand-washing and healthy eating habits.
Research Design
First, we will meet with the microbiology department to obtain the materials we will need throughout our experiment. Once we have all of the materials we need to successfully carry out our experiment, we ill set it up. We will initially boil the Agar solution until it becomes clear; it will then sit until it becomes thick. Then, we will pour the thickened solution to be ready to obtain our samples. We will collect our first six samples on a Tuesday by swabbing one sink, including it's fixtures, faucet, and basin, in the girls' bathroom as well as those same parts of the sink in the boys' bathroom; all doing this before the sinks are cleaned. Next, we will repeat the procedure on the following Thursday after the two sinks have been cleaned. There will be a total of twelve samples for the first week. The following week, we will once again swab the fixtures, faucet, and sink basin of the same sinks we did the week before on the same days as before. At the end of this week, we ill have collected all 24 samples.
NOTE: To transfer the swabbed bacteria, the Petri dish should already have a lid on it with the Agar solution in it. The Petri dish should be opened quickly and the cotton swab swiped on the Agar solution, followed by replacing the lid of the Petri dish quickly.
After the samples have been prepared in the Agar solution filled Petri dishes, the dishes will be placed in a cool, dark place in Boyd hall. We will observe the samples every Tuesday and Thursday after class recording our observations. We will observe the growth of the bacteria and any other characteristics in our data sheet.
Materials and Methods
In order to achieve success in our lab experiment, we met with Dr. Hooke, head of the microbiology department, to discuss the procedure for cultivating, identifying, and comparing various forms of bacteria and to obtain materials for testing purposes.
a) Materials
-Latex Gloves
-Recording Instruments
-Masking Tape
-Cellophane tape
-Q-tips
-Petri Dishes (24)
-Agara gel culture medium based on a seaweed extract, widely used for growing microorganisms in laboratories
-Microscope
-Slides
-Cover Slips
-Methyl-violet Stain
-Iodine Solution (2 g. iodine, 10 ml. sodium hydroxide, 90 ml. Distilled water)
-Acetone
-Fuchsin Stain
-Sterile Loop
-Bunsen Burner
-Jump Software
c) See attached data sheet
d)Research Time-line
Tues Oct. 12- Collect materials for lab experiment
Tues Oct. 19- First collection date before cleaning
Thurs Oct. 21- First collection date after cleaning
Tues Oct. 26- Second collection date before cleaning
Thurs Oct. 28- Second collection date after cleaning
Nov. 1- Nov 7- Observation/ Recording
Nov. 8- Nov. 14- Dispose materials and begin testing/comparing data
Nov. 29- Dec. 5- Analyze data and begin conclusion
Dec. 6- Dec. 12- Prepare final lab force submission