Bio lab experiment... Microbes Everywhere... please help?

Question

This lab is designed to demonstrate the growth and characteristics of microorganisms.

the lab is due tomorrow, which yes i knew.. but i did not know that it took 3-6 days for the cultures to develop bacteria so that I could record the information of my results.

this is an online class. & i really need help with some answers because there is no time to do the experiment.

the experiment consists of using sterile swabs & swabing like doorhandles, toilet handels, ect. (up to 6 different areas) & waiting for the bacteria to grow, then recording this information:

temp at site when swabbed, types of microorganisms in sample, shape of colonies, colors, & size.

please help. i have never let an assignment or experiment pass me by & ive never been unprepared until now. & theres nothing i can do except fail if i dont get someone who has done the experiment to help me out.

thank you.

Answer 1

You'll most likely get many cream-colored and yellow colonies, with possibly a few random colors (red or pink generally).  Most of them will be round (mound) shaped, all varying in size.  Some will be opaque will some will appear translucent.  Those are common results for "common places", like door handles,  which are touched and used by many people over the day.  As for specific species, I can't exactly say, since colonies vary from location to location.

As for toilets and more "unusual" spots, almost anything could come up.  

You could use google and search something like "door handle bacteria" and look at the images.  There are a few good pictures of different agar plates and you should be able to get a good idea of what I'm talking about.

This site has four pictures: bacteria on a cell phone, keyboard, toilet seat, and door handle (and it's exactly as I described for a door handle).

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/1/prw...

Good luck on your assignment!

Answer 2

You swabbed different areas of a library.

Each swab got different number of colonies as well as different colors of colonies.

The dirtiest place in every building is ALWAYS the water fountains.

Why?

They are never cleaned.

The toilets are even cleaner because they are cleaned with a disinfectant.

Your hypothesis is: the water fountain is always dirtiest because it is never cleaned.

Don't worry about naming colonies because it is difficult unless you are a microbiologist.

Also, areas with contact or friction are less likely to be contaminated because "bugs" are picked up and moved elsewhere.

Good luck honey!