The Effect of Natural
Antibiotics on Homegrown
Bacteria
By: Cassie Lavin
2/26/2013
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Table of Contents
Page #(s)
Content
1……………………………………………………………………………………….…Title Page
2………………………………………………………………………………….Table of Contents
3-7……………………………………………………………………………….Literature Review
8………………………………………………………………………………………Introduction
8-9………………………………………………………..……………Experimental Design Chart
9…………………………………………………………………………………………..Materials
10………………………………………………………………………………………...Procedure
11…………………………………………………………………………Observations and Data
12…………………………………………………………………………………..….Conclusion
13…………………………………………………………………………………….Bibliography
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Literature Reviews
Literature Review #1
"Breeding Bacteria & Growing Microorganisms - Fun Science Experiments for Kids." Science
for Kids - Fun Experiments, Cool Facts, Online Games, Activities, Projects, Ideas,
Technology. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments/breedingbacteria.html>
Bulleted Notes:

How to prepare agar dish.

Pictures of types of bacteria.

Dispose dishes wrapped in newspaper.

Warm environment.

Immune system helps right bacteria.
Justification in paragraph form (Connect to the real world, applications, implications,
background )
On this website I learned mostly how to prepare the agar dish. It also taught me how to safely
dispose the dishes with newspaper. This was important because it’s part of your health, and if
you are exposed to too much bacteria, you could get sick. One more thing it taught me was that
your immune system helps fight off harmful bacteria to keep you healthy.
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Literature Review #2
"The 5 best natural antibiotics and anti-virals that destroy superbugs and just about everything
else." Natural health news. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2013.
<http://naturalnews.com/035516_natural_antibiotics_superbugs.html>
Bulleted Notes:

Garlic

Echinacea

Colloidal Silver

Pau D’Arco

Manuka Honey

Most are used in medicines and antibiotics
Justification in paragraph form (Connect to the real world, applications, implications,
background )
I learned a lot about the antibiotic portion of the project on this article. I learned that Garlic,
Echinacea, Colloidal Silver, Pau D’Arco, and Manuka Honey are the top 5 natural antibiotics
you can find in the world. I also learned that these are all used mostly in medicines and/or
antibiotics used to fight off sickness and bacteria.
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Literature Review #3
"Nutrient Agar Powder Preparation and Use- Science Fair Project Ideas - Tips." Science Stuff ::
Educational Science Supplies, Toys, Games and Kits. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2013.
<http://sciencestuff.com/nav/instructions/agar1.htm>
Bulleted notes:

Directions on making agar mixture

Stack agar plates upside down

Do not freeze

Refrigerate

Keep sterile dishes closed until inoculation

Gave me the recipe

Agar extracted from red seaweed

Contains beef extracts
Justification in paragraph form (Connect to the real world, applications, implications,
background )
In this document I understood how to create the agar mixture used to grow the bacteria. It
also gave a lot of key notes along the sides, which included safety notes. Some of those notes
are listed above in the bulleted notes.
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Literature Review #4
"Bacteria Science Project Guide with Video." Home Science Tools | Microscopes, Chemistry
Supplies, Biology Supplies. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.hometrainingtools.com/bacteria-experiment-guide/a/1480/>.
Bulleted Notes:

First website visited

Need Petri dishes, agar, and sterile swabs

One set of procedures

Video tutorial

Bacillus stearothermophilus, Branhamella catarhallis, and Bacillus coagulans are
complex bacteria that require different nutrients, like tryptic soy agar

Teaches how to kill the bacteria
Justification in paragraph form (Connect to the real world, applications, implications,
background)
This was the first website I visited. It was a very helpful one to look at for ideas on how to do
the project and what it should look like. It gave me a general idea of the entire project. It gave
me a video tutorial, a set of procedures, a set of directions on how to dispose the Petri dishes, and
extra information on bacteria.
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Literature Review #5
Wolfe, Nathan. "Microbes: Small, Small World." National Geographic Jan. 2013: n. pag. National
Geographic. Web. 16 Nov. 2012.
Bulleted Notes:

When we inhale, our nostrils capture millions of invisible particles: dust, pollen, sea
spray, volcanic ash, plant spores.

They’re just passing through. Your nasal passages also host a rich and complicated
population of full-time residents. Three genera—Corynebacterium, Propionibacterium,
and Staphylococcus—account for most of the bacteria in your nostrils.

Shows the different bacteria that can be found in different openings of the body.
Justification in paragraph form (Connect to the real world, applications, implications,
background)
This was the second source I visited. It was a National Geographic article that I found online
that explained what kinds of bacteria lived inside your body. This was helpful because it named
what kind of bacteria was where, and it helped to understand what was dangerous, safe, etc. This
was filled with great information that was very helpful.
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Introduction
This experiment is important to everyone’s knowledge on health. Bacteria are everywhere.
It’s in the air you breathe, the food you eat, and anything you touch. But nobody seems to
understand that there are natural antibiotics that kill these bacteria. I thought that it would be
interesting to try it out myself, so I chose to conduct this experiment.
The purpose of this experiment is to determine the effects of natural antibiotics on home
grown bacteria. This experiment will mock the bacteria that grow in the real world, and how
these natural substances help fight off these harmful organisms.
I hypothesize that if I combine the natural antibiotics with the home grown bacteria, the
antibiotics will over rule. I believe so, because if it works in the real world, it should work in
this experiment as well. This experiment is a scenario of real life events, so my hypothesis
should be correct.
Experimental Design Chart
Title: The Effect of Natural Antibiotics on Homegrown Bacteria.
Hypothesis: I hypothesize that if I combine natural antibiotics with homegrown bacteria, the
antibiotics will dominate.
DV: The dependants in this experiment are the bacteria dishes. This was measured when I first
poured the Petri dishes; they all have the same amount in them.
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IV: The independent in this experiment is the bacteria. The bacteria are purposefully being
grown and killed, to test what people say about natural antibiotics.
Constants: A constant in this experiment are the natural antibiotics. These will be measured by
the ¼ of a teaspoon. Another constant is the temperature in the room. This is measured by the
heating lamp.
Materials

Petri dishes

Powdered agar

Water

Sterile cotton swabs

Garlic

1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon

Heat lamp

Stove

Pan

Heat resistant glove

Sterile glass stir rod
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Procedure
Part 1:
1. Measure agar and distilled water into a pan.
2. Put pan over flame, and boil mixture for 1 minute.
3. While boiling, stir with a sterile glass stir rod.
4. After mixture has boiled for one minute, set aside and let stand a few minutes.
5. Pour enough melted agar into each Petri dish to cover the bottom; about 1/8” to
1/4” deep.
6. Replace lids immediately. Agar medium will settle like stiff gelatin at room
temperature.
7. When the agar has settled completely, swab areas of collection with sterile swab,
and gently glide the surface of the swab over the agar mixture.
8. Cover with lid immediately after inoculation.
9. Wait a few days, and you should see results.
Part 2:
1. Now that your bacteria are grown, it’s time to kill it.
2. Measure garlic with 1/4 teaspoon spoon.
3. Sprinkle garlic over Petri dish.
4. Wait a couple more days, and the bacteria should be killed.
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Observations and Data
Graph 1
Bacteria Growth Chart Overall
30
Scale 1-30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Day 1
Day 10
Day 20
Day 30
Day 40
Day 50
Day 60
Time
This graph shows the overall growth and effect of both the bacteria and garlic. The garlic didn’t
end up killing the bacteria, so that’s why it’s flat at the end. However, I summed up the
information from the entire project and put it into this graph.
Table 1
Day
10
20
30
40
50
60
8
22
28
28
27
25
Progress
Scale 1-30
This table shows the progress throughout the entire experiment. From when the bacteria was
growing, to when I attempted to kill it with the garlic. As it shows, the bacteria grew at an
accelerated rate, to a constant rate, then it decreased a very little bit.
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Conclusion
The purpose of the experiment was to figure out if the natural antibiotics would kill the
homegrown bacteria that I grew. It was not only for this reason, but to learn more about my
surroundings and things that happen unnoticed. It was a huge surprise whenever I found out that
the garlic did not kill the bacteria. The first part of the experiment was a success (growing the
bacteria). However, the second part wasn’t. After about a month and a half, the bacteria were
fully developed and ready to begin the second part of the experiment. I sprinkled shredded garlic
on the Petri dishes, and waited a few days. There was barely any change in the growth of the
bacteria.
My hypothesis did not support any of my data findings, because I guessed that the garlic
would kill the bacteria. I have no idea why the garlic didn’t kill the bacteria, but I believe there
are a few things I could’ve improved that might have improved the results of the experiment. I
believe that if I would’ve researched into how to apply the garlic a little bit more, it would’ve
improved the results. Other than that, the project was successful.
If I were to give advice to other people about what else to improve on, it would be to
make the temperature of the incubator/wherever you store your dishes higher than room
temperature. If you store your dishes in a warmer environment, the bacteria will produce faster,
which will make for an easier experiment. I’d also tell them a different way to apply the garlic,
since my method wasn’t successful.
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Bibliography

"Breeding Bacteria & Growing Microorganisms - Fun Science Experiments for Kids."
Science for Kids - Fun Experiments, Cool Facts, Online Games, Activities,
Projects, Ideas, Technology. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments/breedingbacteria.html>

"The 5 best natural antibiotics and anti-virals that destroy superbugs and just about
everything else." Natural health news. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2013.
<http://naturalnews.com/035516_natural_antibiotics_superbugs.html>

"Nutrient Agar Powder Preparation and Use- Science Fair Project Ideas - Tips." Science
Stuff :: Educational Science Supplies, Toys, Games and Kits. N.p., n.d. Web. 9
Apr. 2013. <http://sciencestuff.com/nav/instructions/agar1.htm>

"Bacteria Science Project Guide with Video." Home Science Tools | Microscopes,
Chemistry Supplies, Biology Supplies. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.hometrainingtools.com/bacteria-experiment-guide/a/1480/>.

Wolfe, Nathan. "Microbes: Small, Small World." National Geographic Jan. 2013: n. pag. National
Geographic. Web. 16 Nov. 2012.