My Encounter 2

This week I encountered microbiology before my very eyes in the girls bathroom of Wilkinson Hall.  It was a Wednesday evening and I am just getting out from working at the school bookstore.  After I close, I usually go to the restroom just to wash my hands because for the past 3 and half hours I was touching and handling money.  I like washing my hands after work because that's also the time that I decide to have dinner in the cafe.

It was to my dismay that as I walk into the bathroom, a female exited a stall after flushing the toilet without washing her hands.  I was disgusted as she touched the handle of the door that I potentially could have touched right after her if I had not seen what she did.  I began to think about the different bacteria that now existed on that door handle as I continued on to wash my hands.  While drying my hands, I made a conscience decision not to touch that handle bar and use another paper towel as a barrier.  If I did not make that decision I am positive that I would be coming down with some kind of sickness as of now.

This relates to Microbiology class because bacteria exist everywhere.  This class teaches us of the various types of bacteria that exist, some good and some bad.  After being in that bathroom that day, I'm positive that there was nothing but bad bacteria all over that door handle.  I began to remember how in class we talked about different ways of preventing the spread of pathogenic microorganisms through proper sanitation, disinfection, or even sterilizing objects. 

My Dictionary 3

Sterilization:

 refers to the removal or destruction of all microbes, including viruses, and bacterial endospores, in or on an object.

Aseptic:

describes an environment or procedure that is free of contamination by pathogens.

Disinfection:

refers to the use of physical or chemical agents known as disinfectants to inhibit or destroy microorganisms, especially pathogens.


Degerming:

is the removal of microbes from a surface by scrubbing, such as when you wash your hands.


Sanitation:

is the process of disinfecting places  and utensils used by the public to reduce the number of pathogenic microbes to meet accepted public health standards.


Pasteurization:

is the  use of heat to kill pathogens and reduce the number of spoilage microorganisms in food and beverages. 

My Dictionary 2

The Transfer of Genetic Information 

 

Transcription:  the information is copied as RNA nucleotide sequences 

 

Translation:  RNA molecules  in ribosomes then synthesize polypeptides 

 

Central Dogma:  DNA is transcribed to RNA; which is translated to form polypeptides

Events in Transcription 

RNA Primer:  molecules for DNA polymerase to use during DNA replication

Messenger RNA (mRNA):  molecules which carry genetic information from chromosomes to  ribosomes 

Ribosomal RNA (rRNA):  molecules which combine with ribosomal polypeptides to form ribosomes

Transfer RNA (tRNA):  molecules which deliver the correct sequence of amino acids to ribosomes based on the sequence of nucleotides in mRNA

My Investigation: Nosocomial Infections

I found in an online article entitled "Nosocomial Infections" that these infections are defined as thosie occurring within 48 hours of hospital admission, 3 days of discharge or 30 days of an operation.  I decided to do my investigation on nosocomial infections because recently I was admitted in the hospital because I thought I had an infection in my throat.  I sought out to see a doctor about it and began to wonder about the different nosocomial infections I could possibly catch while being there.  This article that I found described what these infections are, how one can catch them, and some statistics here and there.  Some of the key points mentioned that "one in ten patients will acquire a nosocomial infection, a third of nosocomial infections are preventable, and hand washing is the best preventative measure against the spread of infection." 

In the article it also mentions that "Gram-positive bacteria are the commonest cause of nosocomial infections with Staphylococcus aureus being the predominant pathogen. There has been an increase in the rate of antibiotic resistant bacteria associated with nosocomial infections in ICU."  This brought my attention to what we were learning about in class.  We spoke about Gram-positive bacterial cells and Gram-Negative.  This lead me to my book to refresh my mind what a gram-positive bacterial cell consists of.  On page 64 of the Microbiology with diseases by Taxonomy, it says that gram-positive bacterial cell walls have a relatively thick layer of peptidoglycan that also contain unique chemicals called teichoic acids. 

Both of these sources allowed me to really think about the possibilities of catching a nosocomial infection in a heath care facility.  It connected well with the what we have been learning in class in regards to gram-positive bacterium. 

Citations:

Bauman, Robert W. Microbiology with Diseases by Taxonomy . 3rd Edition. San Francisco: Pearson   Education , 2011. 64-65. Print.

Inweregbu, Ken, Jayshree Dave, and Alison Pittard. "Nosocomial Infections." Oxford Journals . 5.1 (2005): 14-17. Web. 8 Feb. 2013. <http://ceaccp.oxfordjournals.org/content/5/1/14.full>. 


From my understandings, this journal is from a peer-reviewed journal since there are so many people involved in creating the journal and also the many references indicated towards the bottom of the article.  The article is not from a newspaper and this site was published in 2005.  In terms of bias, the article is talking about the nosocomial infections that occur in a health care facility.  It does not really go both ways since there isn't two sides really to the topic.  This source is not an advertisement either.  

 

My Dictionary

Bright-Field Microscopes: There are two kinds

1. Simple Microscopes:  These were the microscopes in which Leeuwenhoek first reported his observations of microoraganisms.  This contains a a single magnifying lens that was capable of approximately 300x magnification and acheived excellent clarity. 

2. Uses a series of lenses for magnification.  These microscopes replaced the simple microsope in modern laboratories. 

Dark-Field Microscopes:  These microscopes utilize a dark-field stop in the condenser that prevents light from directly entering the objectiev lens.  Instead, light rays are reflected inside the condenser so that they pass into the slide at such an oblique angle that they miss the objective lens.  Only those light rays that are scattered by the specimen enter the objective lens and are seen, so the specimen appears light against a dark background. 

Phase Microscopes:  These microscopes are utilized by scientists to examine living microorganisms or specimens that would be damaged or altered by attaching them to slides or staining them.  Basically, these microscopes treat one set of light rays differently from another set of light rays. 

                                                           The working principle




Confocal Microscopes:  These microscopes use fluorescent dyes or fluorescent antibodies, but these microscopes use ultraviolet lasers to illuminate the fluorescent chemicals in only a single plane; the rest of the specimen remains dark and out of focus. 

 

 

Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM): This microscope generates a beam of electrons that ultimately produces an image on a fluorescent screen.  The path of electrons is similar to the path of light in a light microscope.

 

My Encounter

Lately, it has been very cold outside due to the winter season and unfortunately I became sick.  Normally back home my dad would always tell me to drink some lime juice and honey which is an ultime Jamaican remedy that has been passed down from generation to generation.  My father is absolutely anti-hospital and always referred to natural ways to battling any kind of sickness including my colds.  While I was sick I would drink my fathers lime juice and honey mixture and shortly after would be  completely normal again after just a few days.  I would always wonder, what is it in that mixture that makes me heal from my sick so fast.  As I do some research of my own, I began to see that honey is in fact, "The World's Sweetest Antibiotic." 

 In one of my articles I found a combination of five different components that honey is made from that assist in killing bacteria.

• Hydrogen peroxide (Bleach):  The honey enzyme called glucose oxidase makes hydrogen peroxide when honey is diluted with water.  An example would be toilet cleaners that we clean toilets with and they're pretty good at killing bacteria.
• Sugar:  Honey has alot of sugar, making it hard for water to be present and as a result, prevents bacteria to grow.
•  Methylglyoxal (Antibacterial Compound):  It’s also found in medical grade honey which is made in controlled greenhouses.
• Bee defensin 1(Protein):  This has been identified in honey, and it works as an antibiotic.
•  Acid:  Diluted honey has a pH of around 3.5 so the acidic environment slows down bacterial growth.

In the second article I found the breakdown results of two different types of honeys that worked significantly better than an antibiotic against MSSA and MRSA.

Results

• Sidr honey was 63% effective in killing MSSA.
• Sidr honey was 73% effective in killing MRSA.
• Sidr honey was 91% effective in killing PA.
• Manuka honey was 82% effective in killing MSSA.
• Manuka honey was 63% effective in killing MRSA.
• Manuka honey was 91% effective in killing PA.



The latest study, by Dr Sarah Maddocks, has found manuka honey is effective against the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes, which can make wounds hard to treat



Sources:

1.     http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20080922/humble-honey-kills-bacteria

2.     http://www.aschoonerofscience.com/recent-research/worlds-sweetest-antibiotic-the-five-ways-honey-kills-bacteria/