September 18, 2019 at 4:36 p.m.
Science in action
JCHS students in Lisa Wood’s class work with bacteria to make their own ‘superbug’
Science in action
A superbug sounds like something that is created in a lab at a major medical research university or a high-end pharmaceutical company.
Jay County High School students are doing something similar in their first-block science class.
Lisa Wood and her students spent time early this school year getting a better understanding of just how easy it is for bacteria to become immune to antibiotics.
“Superbug” typically refers to strains of bacteria that are resistant to the majority of antibiotics commonly used today. JCHS students have learned how easy — and quickly — bacteria can develop resistance to antibiotics.
Nich Hunter offers the demonstration, showing Petri dishes with two different strains of E. coli bacteria. One, he points out, is resistant to the antibiotic streptomycin. The other is resistant to ampicillin.
“So what we did in this lab is we mixed together both of these to make a bacteria resistant to both drugs,” said Hunter, showing a dish that is full of bacteria despite the presence of both streptomycin and ampicillin. “And we have now created a superbug.”
Hunter explains the process, which is called conjugation.
When the bacteria are mixed together, their pili — fibrous proteins — will touch. One of the bacteria will die while the other will take some of its genetic material.
“So one of them becomes smarter,” said Wood. “And that one is now resistant.
“The whole point of learning this is, in 24 hours, the bacteria that was dying has gotten smart and is able to live. In 24 hours, it has (gone) through evolution in its DNA.”
The lab work isn’t just about the students seeing the bacteria in action. It’s about understanding the process and how those bacterial changes can effect them.
Wood explains both the benefits of the bacteria that exist in the human body every day as well as the dangers of those that become resistant to more and more antibiotics.
“It shows us how dangerous it is to overuse antibiotics,” said Hunter. “Because if you overuse antibiotics, they slowly become more resistant to them. And when you have bacteria that share DNA that are already resistant, they become more and more resistant every time.”
Trevon Vore explains another experiment the students performed in which they tested the effectiveness of various antibiotics on a specific bacteria. Holding up a Petri dish, he shows that some of the antibiotics have killed all of the bacteria around them. Others have had no effect.
“So penicillin has no effect on it,” he said. “So if we were to take penicillin with this type of bacteria in our body, it would have no effect on it and it would keep growing at a rapid rate.”
It’s important, Vore explains, to receive the correct medication.
Wood adds that not completing a course of medication can also be problematic. It can result in that antibiotic being ineffective in the future.
Another aspect of the lab work involves learning about how to safely handle bacteria. Its a simple process — wear gloves and lab coats, remove jewelry, wash hands, etc. — but an important one.
“If we had that superbug and we put it all over the table, kids would be getting sick and would be getting E. coli infections,” said Wood. “It’s very important to know how to handle bacteria and know the good and the bad of bacteria.”
The lab work is part of curriculum suggested by Project Lead the Way, a non-profit organization that develops learning experiences with a focus on computer science, engineering and biomedical science.
Students in Wood’s first-block class are in the third year of the curriculum. It started with principles of biomedical science, with human body systems following last year. This year’s course — medical intervention — focuses on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease. The fourth year of the track is biomedical innovation.
The bulk of the students in the class are on the path of advanced science because of their career goals — engineer, radiologist, nurse, medical examiner.
Regardless of those specific goals, they agree that there’s a benefit to seeing the science play out in front of them rather than just taking a textbook’s word for it.
“I think it helps bring another layer to it,” said Hunter.
Jay County High School students are doing something similar in their first-block science class.
Lisa Wood and her students spent time early this school year getting a better understanding of just how easy it is for bacteria to become immune to antibiotics.
“Superbug” typically refers to strains of bacteria that are resistant to the majority of antibiotics commonly used today. JCHS students have learned how easy — and quickly — bacteria can develop resistance to antibiotics.
Nich Hunter offers the demonstration, showing Petri dishes with two different strains of E. coli bacteria. One, he points out, is resistant to the antibiotic streptomycin. The other is resistant to ampicillin.
“So what we did in this lab is we mixed together both of these to make a bacteria resistant to both drugs,” said Hunter, showing a dish that is full of bacteria despite the presence of both streptomycin and ampicillin. “And we have now created a superbug.”
Hunter explains the process, which is called conjugation.
When the bacteria are mixed together, their pili — fibrous proteins — will touch. One of the bacteria will die while the other will take some of its genetic material.
“So one of them becomes smarter,” said Wood. “And that one is now resistant.
“The whole point of learning this is, in 24 hours, the bacteria that was dying has gotten smart and is able to live. In 24 hours, it has (gone) through evolution in its DNA.”
The lab work isn’t just about the students seeing the bacteria in action. It’s about understanding the process and how those bacterial changes can effect them.
Wood explains both the benefits of the bacteria that exist in the human body every day as well as the dangers of those that become resistant to more and more antibiotics.
“It shows us how dangerous it is to overuse antibiotics,” said Hunter. “Because if you overuse antibiotics, they slowly become more resistant to them. And when you have bacteria that share DNA that are already resistant, they become more and more resistant every time.”
Trevon Vore explains another experiment the students performed in which they tested the effectiveness of various antibiotics on a specific bacteria. Holding up a Petri dish, he shows that some of the antibiotics have killed all of the bacteria around them. Others have had no effect.
“So penicillin has no effect on it,” he said. “So if we were to take penicillin with this type of bacteria in our body, it would have no effect on it and it would keep growing at a rapid rate.”
It’s important, Vore explains, to receive the correct medication.
Wood adds that not completing a course of medication can also be problematic. It can result in that antibiotic being ineffective in the future.
Another aspect of the lab work involves learning about how to safely handle bacteria. Its a simple process — wear gloves and lab coats, remove jewelry, wash hands, etc. — but an important one.
“If we had that superbug and we put it all over the table, kids would be getting sick and would be getting E. coli infections,” said Wood. “It’s very important to know how to handle bacteria and know the good and the bad of bacteria.”
The lab work is part of curriculum suggested by Project Lead the Way, a non-profit organization that develops learning experiences with a focus on computer science, engineering and biomedical science.
Students in Wood’s first-block class are in the third year of the curriculum. It started with principles of biomedical science, with human body systems following last year. This year’s course — medical intervention — focuses on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease. The fourth year of the track is biomedical innovation.
The bulk of the students in the class are on the path of advanced science because of their career goals — engineer, radiologist, nurse, medical examiner.
Regardless of those specific goals, they agree that there’s a benefit to seeing the science play out in front of them rather than just taking a textbook’s word for it.
“I think it helps bring another layer to it,” said Hunter.
Top Stories
9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit
Chartwells marketing
September 17, 2024 7:36 a.m.
Events
250 X 250 AD