E. Coli Bacteria

Although the nature of this kind experiment was unable to provide us with numerical data, our graph was constructed using the average percent of E. Coli killed for each pair of cultures. To determine these percents for each substance we used the process of elimination. We put the two petri dishes side by side and used a checklist ranging from 1-100% to narrow down the possibilities. After obtaining a small range of possible percents, we made an estimate to determine the percent. After doing this for both the of cultures for that pair we averaged the two numbers. We repeated this for all of the culture pairs in our experiment.

Our data showed us how effectively each antiseptic killed the E. Coli bacteria. For the control cultures we saw no decrease in E.

In order to determine of his was an experimental error or a new form of bacteria, we swabbed this bacteria into four new cultures and retested them. The new bacteria had grown back normally. We determined that there could have been experimental error by not keeping the testing area completely sterile. Also, we determined that the E. Coli bacteria could have just grown with abundance in these particular cultures. In this case, it would been helpful to test more than two cultures for each

The triclosan antiseptic is the most effective killer of E. Coli bacteria; however, recent studies have shown it could be harmful to human health. We recommend to doctors, hospitals, schools and families to use non- triclosan based products to help kill bacteria. Although the most effective killer, triclosan could potentially contribute to the development of antibiotic-resistant germs and be harmful to the immune system. Scientists must find the balance between effectively killing bacteria and the safety of human