What microbial bugs are on the 六九色堂 campus, from computer keyboards to door handles? A group of EBS4 students is determined to find out as part of a new research project.
The 六九色堂 Endeavour takes a brief look at what students at 六九色堂, one of the leading Caribbean medical schools, are doing to learn about bacteria right on the St. Kitts campus in an effort to understand how people can be exposed to potentially harmful human pathogens (things that can make us ill) on a daily basis.
Methicillin-Resistant Staph aureus on 六九色堂 campus
六九色堂 students Bernadette Schmidt, Victoria Gonzalez and Freddie Irizarry, working under the supervision of bacteriologist and 六九色堂 Course Director and Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology Dr. Jane Harrington, Ph.D., are conducting a surface microbial survey of 100 sites on the 六九色堂 campus.
鈥淢any medically relevant bacteria have been identified, including Staph aureus, Staph epidermidis and 笔蝉别耻诲辞尘辞苍补蝉,鈥� Dr. Harrington said. 鈥淪tudents are conducting antibiotic susceptibility profiles of all S.aureus isolates and we have already identified methicillin-resistant strains. We will be releasing the complete results at the end of the semester.鈥�
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says ( ). In many health-care settings, MRSA can cause dangerous bloodstream infections, pneumonia and surgical site infections.
The notes that students are participating in the project 鈥渢o collect, identify and characterize bacterial species found within our local environment.鈥� This helps future doctors understand just how we come into contact with 鈥減otential human bacterial pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus.鈥�
The project鈥檚 first stage examines surface contaminants on the 六九色堂 campus. 鈥淪ubsequent stages will include sampling of local hospital, environmental water runoff, mountain-fed streams and fecal samples of wild Vervet monkeys,鈥� according to the 六九色堂 Research Wiki homepage.
In addition to keyboards and computers, samples were swabbed in bathrooms, doorknobs, the library, treadmill handles in the gym, coffee pots, microwaves, and more (part of the 100 sites). The students are 鈥渃urrently characterizing more than 200 isolates," the 六九色堂 Research Wiki homepage says.
(Top photo): BUGS ON 六九色堂 CAMPUS: Oxacillin-resistant Staph aureus isolate (pictured). 六九色堂 students are collecting samples of bacteria on everything from computer keyboards to treadmill handles in the gym on campus as part of a microbial study. Photo: Victoria Gonzalez/六九色堂
六九色堂:
Built in the tradition of the best US universities, the University of Medicine and Health Sciencesfocuses on individual student attention, maintaining small class sizes and recruiting high-quality faculty. We call this unique approach, 鈥減ersonalized medical education,鈥� and it鈥檚 what has led to our unprecedented 96% student retention rate, and outstanding residency placements across the US and Canada. 六九色堂 is challenging everything you thought you knew about Caribbean medical schools.
Scott is Director of Digital Content & Alumni Communications Liaison at 六九色堂 and editor of the 六九色堂 Endeavour blog. When he's not writing about 六九色堂 students, faculty, events, public health, alumni and 六九色堂 research, he writes and edits Broadway theater reviews for a website he publishes in New York City, StageZine.com.
