MadSci Network: General Biology |
Hi! Bacterial soaps have not proven to be especially effective due to the porous nature of the skin. They will remove what we call the resident skin flora which are helpful bacteria, and may reduce the presence of the harmful bacteria, too, but the action of good old Ivory Snow will probably do just as well. To conduct this experiment you will need petri dishes, gelatin and boullion cubes. Just boil the boullion with the gelatin and pour the mixture into the petri dishes. Wash your hands with several different kinds of soap and make a thumb print on the auger. Then use a warm closet to incubate the plates for a couple of days. When done look for colonies of bacteria, count them and compare the results. Let me know if you need more advise. Roy Costa RS MS Education and Training Specialist State of Florida
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