The Lactobacillus Hustle





I was completing inhibition assays on my lil' Lactobacilli. I was trying to determine if they could inhibit the growth of a food pathogen like E. coli. So, I got a petri dish filled with MRS agar, dug a well, and inserted 500 microliters of MRS broth inoculated with a 24 hour, undiluted culture of each of the Lactobacillus species, acidophilus, plantarum, and rhamnosus. Then I spread lil E. coli around the top of each of the wells. All the research I read indicated that the two did not make good roomates, but what happened next could not have been anticipated.

E. coli just had his run of the place. I asked the Lactobacilli what happened. They informed me that E. coli was nice but could be a little aggressive at times. It was difficult keeping the place tidy while he was around. They suggested that I leave them alone in the well  and then bring E coli by in a couple days. So I did. I left them alone in the well before I moved in E. coli. However, I was bamboozled! Lil' Lactobacillus had no intention of letting E. coli move in. I went back in a couple days and there was no sign of E. coli. I guess the research was right. These guys don't make good roommates.

Various species of Lactobacilli can inhibit the growth of pathogens like E. coli. Members of this genus group can lower the pH of the environment that makes it inhabitable for certain pathogens. However, results from our growth curve analysis indicated that it takes about 24 hours for the Lactobacillus to acidify the environment.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Staphylococcus Aureus

Image
                                                                                            Staphylococcus Aureus on Mannitol Plate S. Aureus was identified in two of the participants in my study. Although this organism is typically described as an opportunistic pathogen, it is a part of the normal skin flora of approximately 1/4 of the US population. S. Aureus is also associated with dry skin and atopic dermatitis (Williams et al, 2017). Consistent with current research, the person in our dry skin condition had the most colonies of S. Aureus when compared to the participants with normal and combination skin.  Biochemical characteristics of S. Aureus include, mannitol  +, coagulase +, glucose +, lactose (+) or (-) , and anaerobic.
Read more

New Semester...New Project

Image
Every time I start a project, I always think that I'm going to kick that football right away. And then life happens, and I'm flat on my back. This semester I have decided to examine the inhibitory effects of lactic acid producing bacteria on two common food pathogens: E. coli and Salmonella. In my mind I had this laid out perfectly. In my gut, I knew this wouldn't be easy, but I think my enthusiasm kept me from seeing how difficult it would really be. Nevertheless, I will persevere. And by the end of the semester, I will have kicked that football.
Read more

Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA)

Just wanted to share some good news. My oldest daughter is a member of the MESA club at Vista del Sur Elementary School in Laveen. She is a part of the On-Site Engineering Design group. In this competition, the students show up at their destination and are given a task. They receive $500 in monopoly money to buy all the supplies they need to complete the project. At regionals, her group was required to build a shelter for an egg so that it wouldn't break when dropped. Her group's design got them second place and now they will be participating in the state competition at Apollo High School in April!!!  GO Tigers!!!!
Read more