First off, Patti Scanlon, the avid epidemiologist, was generous enough to show us an awesome power point presentation on infections and infections control. She told us that her job was to minimize and reduce the possibility of infection in and near where she worked; the Boston Children’s Hospital. She gave us a brief summary of what processes went on during a normal day in analyzing bacteria. She has to analyze how infections occur, where they occur, the difference between normal and common, and nasty and infectious bacteria, for example, Normal flora, is the bacteria that lives in and around us. After learning about how infections can be controlled, she wrapped up her insightful presentation saying, “we are in the microbial drive to survive.” Next Ms. Riley gave us a very informative tour of the microbiology and virology labs. She walked us through how they determine what type of bacteria is causing the infection. First, bacteria is cultured on a 5% sheep's blood agar medium. Once the bacteria are present, paper discs infused with various antibiotics are placed on the agar plate. After 24 hours, the diameter of dead bacteria around the disc is measured. The larger the diameter, the more effective the antibiotic. The lab would then report this to the doctor where the doctor would prescribe the strongest and most prevalent antibiotic. The process and the facilities they had were amazing and gave us an amazing insight into the world of medicine. In this case, science is definitely saving, rather the slaying us.
-Erik Caron
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