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LAB 4: Sources of Contamination and Infections

REPORTED BY :) SOLLYBRIDE at 15:05
Introduction

Microorganism or microbe is an organism that is unicellular or lives in a colony of cellular organisms. The study of microorganisms is called microbiology, Microorganisms are very diverse which includes bacteria, fungi, archaea, and protists, microscopic plants (green algae), and animals such as plankton and the planarian. Some microbiologists also include viruses, but others consider these as non-living. Microorganisms are found on every location worldwide including the north and south pole as well as in the hot spring. They are found in all living things, plants and animal.
There are many types of microorganisms that will be discussed. Firstly, the airborne microorganisms. Airborne microbes cause a lot of illnesses and diseases in humans. Microorganisms can enter the air when a human or animal sneezes, or by the wind picking up the light particles and blowing them where humans are. When a human sneezes microorganisms leave the lungs at around 200 miles per hour. Some of the microorganisms that are growing in the mucus in the respiratory tract enter the air with the moisture particles that are sneezed out of the lungs. These microorganisms can be breathed into the lungs of another person and that person could get sick.
Air sampling is used routinely to monitor the populations of airborne particles, and to inform the public about air quality and spore counts through public broadcasting. The three major types of sampling device for detecting fungal spore loads in air are:

  • the rotorod sampler
  • the Burkard sampler
  • the Anderson sampler.

Meanwhile, within the womb, a baby’s body is axenic , meaning that the uterus is sterile and free of microbes, but soon after birth, the newborn becomes colonized by microbes, most of which are beneficial to human health. These microbes are called normal flora or normal microbes. Many normal flora provide direct benefits, such as making vitamins or aiding digestion. Even if normal flora microbes merely take up space and resources, they help prevent pathogens (disease causing microbes) from easily invading the body and causing illness. Although there are many different species of normal flora, these bacteria, fungi and protozoans typically fall into one of two categories:
  1. Resident microorganism
  2. Transient microorganism

The resident microorganisms. There are more microorganisms on the inside of your body rather than there are cells that make up your entire body. Every human is colonized by billions of microorganisms. These species are life-long members of the body's normal microbial community, but are not found everywhere. There are many areas of the human body that remain axenic, and, in the absence of disease, are never colonized by normal flora. Axenic areas include the body cavity, lungs, central nervous system, circulatory system and upper urogenital regions. Resident microbes typically colonize the surface of the skin, mucous membranes, digestive tract, upper respiratory system and distal portion of the urogenital system. These microbes have a commensal relationship with their host, meaning that they do not cause harm while they benefit from feeding on the cellular waste and dead cells of the host's body such as Escherichia coli which is resided in the intestine to help in the digestion process.

Transient microorganisms - They include food-borne microorganisms and even soil-borne microorganisms make their way into the human digestive tract and, depending upon the characteristics of the specific organism involved, either subtly or dramatically influence the overall health of the human system. Transient microorganisms are different from resident microorganisms in the way that they do not take up permanent residence in the gastrointestinal tract. Instead, they establish small colonies for brief periods of time before dying off or being flushed from the intestinal system via normal digestive processes, and/or by peristaltic bowel action. However, in taking up temporary residence, they contribute to the overall function and condition of the digestive system. Therefore, in many cases, these two very different types of microorganisms nonetheless enjoy a complex symbiotic relationship that may dramatically influence the health and well-being of your entire body.


RESULT
Petri dish 1
Petri dish 2
Air
9
6
Hands
103
477
Ear
Present
Present
Normal breathing
2
1
Violent coughing
5
2

 AIR


 
Hands

 EAR



NORMAL BREATHING


VIOLENT COUGHING


DISCUSSION

Airborne droplet nuclei generated during coughing or sneezing are a potential source of transmission of infection either by direct inhalation or indirectly through contaminated medical devices. Droplets generated from infected respiratory tracts can remain airborne for long periods of time and transmit infections like tuberculosis, respiratory viral illnesses and antibiotic-resistant hospital bacteria. Airborne contamination is mainly derived from the personnel in the operation theatre and their activities. The bacterial count in operation theatre is influenced by the number of individuals present, ventilation and air flow. Exogenous infections of surgical wounds are caused predominantly by Staphylococcus aureus and S. epidermidis is an important pathogen in implant surgery. S. aureus and S. epidermidis are shed into the environment in skin scales of which 106 are shed by an individual each day. Healthy carriers shed few staphylococci.

Ear wax is composed mostly of dead skin cells and keratin with a small mixture of cerumen, sweat, and oil. Cerumen is secreted from the ceruminous glands located in the first third outer part of the ear canal and is thought to be composed mainly of cholesterol, squalene, wax esters, ceramides, and triglycerides. The cerumen also has antimicrobial properties which can be attributed to its slight acidic pH of 5 and the presence of lysozyme. In normal circumstances, the ear wax is continuously pushed out of the ear canal by the slow migration of the top layer of skin cells from the tympanic membrane towards the outer ear. The ear wax traps any foreign particles and organisms on its way out.

Current research on ear wax shows that some of the antimicrobial properties of the cerumen can be attributed to the presence of antimicrobial peptides, Human Beta-defensin 1 and Human Beta-defensin 2. Other recent studies have shown that cerumen directly inhibits the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans, but its effect on the growth of E. coli remains to be determined. Ear infections are often associated with dysfunction or swelling of the Eustachian tubes. The Eustachian tube is the principal portal for the entry and exit of bacterial in the middle ear. During a viral upper respiratory tract infection (i.e. the common cold), inflammation can block the Eustachian tube. As a result the middle ear does not drain properly and the fluid builds up, becoming a breeding ground for bacteria. Additionally, children have larger adenoid glands than adults.



Frequent coughing usually indicates the presence of a disease. Many viruses and bacteria benefit evolutionarily by causing the host to cough, which helps to spread the disease to new hosts. Most of the time, coughing is caused by a respiratory tract infection but can be triggered by choking, smoking, air pollution, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease, post-nasal drip, chronic bronchitis, lung tumors, heart failure and medications such as ACE inhibitors. A cough can be the result of a respiratory tract infection such as the common cold, pneumonia, pertussis, or tuberculosis. Infections in the breathing tubes can be caused by both bacteria and viruses, although the most common cause in children is a virus.

A normal breathing rate is approximately 12 to 20 respirations per minute while at rest. This means that the person will breathe in and out 12 to 20 times during a 60 second period. When counting, make sure to count a breath in and out as one breath to avoid doubling the respiratory number. It is helpful to count a breathing rate when the person is relaxed and is unaware that you are watching her breathing pattern because most people will begin to focus on breathing and disrupt the natural flow if they know that someone is counting the breaths per minute. Normal breathing is typically quiet without wheezes, coughing, bubbling sounds, or other noises. Breath odor is the scent of the air you breathe out of your mouth. Unpleasant, distinctive, or offensive breath odor is commonly called bad breath. Some disorders will produce specific, characteristic odors to the breath. Bad breath related to poor oral hygiene is most common and caused by release of sulphur compounds by bacteria in the mouth.

CONCLUSION


 Contamination is the presence of a minor and unwanted constituent (contaminant) in material, physical body, natural environment. Poor biological air quality may be connected with some non-biological aspects. As we know, there are many microorganism that are colonized in the free air and also in human body. The exposed of the molten agar to the air and healthy humans cause contamination. 

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