SAFETY
During experiment, different Bacteria strains were used as controls for different methods.
Bacteria
E.Coli
E.Coli (44ºC)
Risk group
1
2
Serratia
Enterococcus faecalis
1
2
Staphylococcus epidermidis
Staphylococcus aureus
1
2
Salmonella
2
Pathogenicity/toxicity
Causes watery diarrhea (might be
bloody), fever, and abdominal cramps
Can cause urinary tract, wound, and
soft tissue infections
Can cause food poisoning, which
involves rapid onset of nausea,
vomiting, abdominal pain, cramps, and
diarrhea
Can cause gastroenteritis, bacteremia,
enteric fever, and an asymptomatic
carrier state
Although some of the strains used in the experiment were pathogenic, additional
precautions didn’t have to be considered, because procedures included only inoculations,
which were carried out with aseptic technique.
All of them should be, however, handled with basic safety precautions, such as:
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After handling contaminated material, hands must be washed with disinfectant soap
and alcogel must be applied after.
Protective laboratory clothing must be worn. After working with bacterium, it should
be left on the coat rack next to the laboratory entrance.
Workbench surfaces must be cleaned and decontaminated with 1% Virkon S after
work with the use of twisted absorbent cotton wool and cleaning gloves.
Touching face areas should be avoided.
WASTE
Material
Straws for capp pippetes
Disposal method
Collected in plastic bags on a wire frame, which were then
put in the Yellow risk container.
Plastic Drigalski spatula
Inoculation loops
PCA-agar left after pouring Collected in a plastic bag, then discarded in the normal waste
plates
Media bottles
Egg yolk bottles
Graduated 10mL pipettes
Contaminated test tubes
Inoculated API strips
Meat with diluent added
in stomacher bag
Meat left after sampling
Rinsed with water, all labels were removed. After that, it was
placed in the dishwasher and dried in the drying cupboard for
approximately 45 minutes and 80°C.
Discarded in a normal waste bin
Put in the plastic container labelled “Demeter pipettes”
containing 1% Virkon S. for 24 h disinfection.
Collected in wire racks (after removing marker with ethanol)
to be later autoclaved, and then washed up.
Put in the Yellow risk container
Collected in a plastic bag
Put in the Yellow risk container