Escherichia coli (E. coli)

[E.coli]. (n.d.). Bing

According to the CDC, "Escherichia coli (E. coli) are bacteria found in the environment, foods, and intestines of people and animals" (2021, March11, para. 1).

(Click to transport to the CDC informational page)

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a type of bacteria that is used as a water quality indicator.
When E. coli is found in surface waters, it means that there has been fecal contamination.
While E. coli itself may be harmful to human health, other disease-causing organisms might also be present.
Once these pathogens are in a stream or lake, they can infect humans through ingestion or skin contact, resulting in diseases such as gastroenteritis (diarrhea), giardia, hepatitis, or cholera.

Cleaning Lab Equipment

Here, at GHC, we are so fortunate to have the amazing science labs we have and the state-of-the-art equipment we have within our facility. It is so important we take care of our equipment. Just a couple of notes of how to clean the lab equipment we'll be using for the research project. The only person who should be disposing of samples are those putting data into the spreadsheet. Please let SAMANTHA or LAUREN know if you are interested in entering data. Equipment should be cleaned with water. At most if you need to wipe out a cylinder after using it due to residue, a paper towel should do the trick. Should you need something more to clean equipment, you will use acetone. Acetone will be available in our lab sometime through the semester, but again, you really shouldn't need more than water. We really want to avoid cleaning our equipment with soap. It is very hard to clean soap off glass. Make sure to leave glassware to dry. The person who comes in the morn...

Collecting Microbiology Samples

Sample Collection/Field Kit E. coli are naturally present in our guts, therefore, we have to avoid any contamination of the samples. Put on gloves (make sure the glove bag stays closed as much as possible to avoid contaminants). Wipe gloved hands with alcohol. Collect water from 1" below the surface in large bottle and pour into small bottle (SHAKE VIGOROUSLY) Label bottles with a sharpie (Please make sure the labels are readable for the data pe rson) . Once collected, samples are put on ice until the are ready to be processed at the lab. The ice ensures that any bacteria in the sample doesn't grow in the meantime. **Samples are processed within SIX hours of collection** Rinse large collecting bottle with deionized water for the next site collection (Prevent cross-contamination). Place all dirty gloves and trash in provided paper bag. Keeping the samples cold with icepacks and processing in a timely manner ensures that bacteria don't have time to gr...

Testing Microbiology Samples

We follow these rules specifically. The process is very easy, but make sure you follow the rules and you'll be performing from memory before you know it!!! Hands must be washed before putting on gloves. Surfaces must be wiped down with sodium hypochlorite (bleach water) before and after testing. Label tray with site number, collection time/date, processing time/date, processor's initials. Retrieve sample and Colilert from refrigerator. Aseptically (just means free of pathogenic microorganisms) add one packet of reagent to the sample. Re-cap bottle and shake until reagent is mostly dissolved. (If sample "flashes blue" it contains excessive chlorine and is invalid for analysis) Pour into Quanti-Tray. Place tray in rubber insert for Quanti-Tray sealer machine. The sealer works like a laminator and seals the backing onto the tray. Feed tray into Quanti-Tray sealer. Place tray into incubator and incubate at 35.0 degrees Celsius for 24 hours . After incubation, the tray is...