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Project Summary

Difficulty	7
Time required	Average (about one week)
Prerequisites	To do this project, you will need access to a laboratory with facilities for culturing bacteria. You should be familiar with sterile technique and proper handling of bacterial cultures.
Material Availability	Specialty items
Cost	Average ($50 - $100)
Safety	Adult supervision required. Read and follow the safety note below on ultraviolet light. Follow standard precautions for handling bacterial cultures.

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Abstract

Objective

The purpose of this project is to observe the effects of short-term ultraviolet light exposure on bacteria.

Introduction

Ultraviolet (UV) light is invisible to our eyes, and has higher energy than visible light. "When considering the effect of UV radiation on human health and the environment, the range of UV wavelengths is often subdivided into UVA (400–315 nm), also called Long Wave or 'blacklight'; UVB (315–280 nm), also called Medium Wave; and UVC (< 280 nm), also called Short Wave or 'germicidal'." (Wikipedia, 2006a) Short-wavelength UV light has enough energy to damage chemical bonds in DNA molecules, which are very stable under most conditions.

"Ultraviolet light is absorbed by a double bond in pyrimidine bases (such as thymine and cytosine in DNA), opening the bond and allowing it to react with neighboring molecules. If it is next to a second pyrimidine base, the UV-modified base forms direct covalent bonds with it. The most common reaction forms two new bonds between the neighboring bases, forming a tight four-membered ring (see Figure 1, below). Other times, a single bond forms between two carbon atoms on the rings, forming a '6-4 photoproduct.' These reactions are quite common: each cell in the skin might experience 50-100 reactions during every second of sunlight exposure." (Goodsell, 2001)

Figure 1. Short wavelength UV light can cause adjacent pyrimidine bases in DNA (thymine and cytosine), to bond to one another instead of the complementary DNA strand. This disrupts DNA replication.

Cells have mechanisms to repair this damage, but if the duration of exposure to UV light is sufficient, the repair mechanisms are unable to keep up with the rate of DNA modification. Short wavelength UV light can thus serve as a germicide.

Figure 2. Short wavelength UV lights are often used to prevent microbial growth on work surfaces in tissue culture hoods, like this one.

In this project, you will determine how much UV light exposure is needed to kill bacteria in culture plates.

Terms, Concepts and Questions to Start Background Research

To do this project, you should do research that enables you to understand the following terms and concepts:

• ultraviolet (UV) light,
• UVA,
• UVB,
• UVC,
• DNA structure,
• pyrimidine,
• DNA replication.

Questions

• What are the differences between UVA, UVB, and UVC radiation?
• How does UV light damage DNA molecules?

Bibliography

• This article discusses the chemical mechanism by which ultraviolet light causes damage to DNA molecules:
  Goodsell, D.S., 2001. "The Molecular Perspective: Ultraviolet Light and Pyrimidine Dimers," The Oncologist 6 (No. 3, June, 2001): 298-299, [accessed September 18, 2006] http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/cgi/content/full/6/3/298.
• These Wikipedia articles discuss ultraviolet light and its use as a germicide:
  
  • Wikipedia contributors, 2006a. "Ultraviolet," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia [accessed September 18, 2006] http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ultraviolet&oldid=76387342.
  • Wikipedia contributors, 2006b. "Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia [accessed September 18, 2006] http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ultraviolet_Germicidal_Irradiation&oldid=75437165.
• Read and follow the UV safety precautions on this website:
  IBC UMN, 2003. "Bio Basics Fact Sheet: UV Radiation Protection in Laboratories," Institutional Biosafety Committee, University of Minnesota [accessed September 18, 2006] http://www.ibc.umn.edu/UVProtection.html.

Materials and Equipment

To do this experiment you will need the following materials and equipment:

• 15 nutrient agar plates:
  •  3 plates per UV light exposure duration ×
  •  5 exposure durations =
  • 15 plates total;
• live E. coli (strain K-12) culture (commonly available in labs; E. coli can also be purchased from online suppliers),
• 200 μL automatic pipettor with sterile tips,
• bent glass rod for spreading bacteria on plates,
• bunsen burner,
• ethanol,
• aluminum foil,
• 37°C incubator for bacterial culture plates,
• short wavelength UV light,
• UV-blocking face shield,
• lab coat,
• gloves.

Experimental Procedure

1. Prepare 15 plates of chosen bacteria: pipette 100 μL from the liquid bacterial suspension, and spread it on the plate. Cover the plate and wait 5 minutes for it to dry.
2. Protect half of each plate from UV light by using aluminum foil to cover half of the lid for each plate.
3. You will use the plates in five groups of three plates each. All plates should be at the same distance from the UV source. The following table shows the suggested UV exposure time for each group of plates. Remember to read and follow the UV light safety precautions (above) while performing this step.

   Group	UV light exposure time (seconds)
   1	15
   2	30
   3	60
   4	120
   5	300

4. Immediately after the UV light exposure, use a permanent marker to indicate which half of each plate received UV light, and the duration of the exposure.
5. Remove the foil coverings, then incubate the plates, inverted, overnight at 37°C (or longer if at lower temperature).
6. Count colonies in both halves of each plate.
7. For each group of plates, calculate the average and standard deviation of the number of colonies in each half of the plate.
8. Make a graph showing the average number of colonies (y-axis) as a function of UV exposure time (x-axis).
9. On the same graph, you can also use a different symbol to plot the average number of colonies on the unexposed (control) side of each plate.
10. Is the average number of control colonies consistent across the five groups of plates? Why or why not?
11. What duration of UV exposure results in 50% bacterial mortality? Are there any plates with 100% bacterial mortality? If so, what duration of UV exposure results in 100% bacterial mortality?

Safe Disposal of Plates

At the conclusion of the experiment, all plates should be disinfected for safe disposal.

1. The best way to dispose of bacterial cultures is to pressure-sterilize (autoclave) them in a heat-stable biohazard bag.
2. If autoclaves or pressure cookers are not available, an alternative is to bleach the plates.
   1. Wear proper safety equipment (gloves, lab coat, eye protection) when working with the bleach solution; it is corrosive.
   2. Saturate the plates with a 20% household bleach solution (in other words, one part bleach and four parts water).
   3. Allow the plates to soak overnight in the bleach solution before disposing of them.
   4. Please note that the bleach solution is corrosive and needs to be thoroughly rinsed afterwards.

Variations

Be sure to follow the UV light safety precautions (above) for all of these experiments.

• Are some bacterial strains more susceptible to UV-induced DNA damage? Are some bacterial strains less susceptible to UV-induced DNA damage? Do background research in order to develop a hypothesis, and then design an experiment to test it.
• Is UVB light an effective bactericide? Design an experiment to compare UVB exposure to UVC exposure. Make sure that you verify the range of wavelengths produced by each light source (see manufacturer's specifications).
• How good is sunblock at blocking UVB rays? Can it protect bacteria from germicidal illumination? You can use a protocol similar to the one here, but instead of using foil, spread a uniform layer of sunblock over half of the plate lid.

• For more science project ideas in this area of science, see Microbiology Project Ideas.

Credits

Andrew Olson, Ph.D., Science Buddies

Sources

This project is based on:

• Beck, A.E., 2004. "What Are the Effects of Ultraviolet Light on Bacteria Mortality?" California State Science Fair Abstract [accessed September 18, 2006] http://www.usc.edu/CSSF/History/2004/Projects/J1303.pdf.

Last edit date: 2007-03-22 22:00:00

Career Focus

If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring careers in Microbiology.

	Epidemiologist Do you like a good mystery? Well, an epidemiologist’s job is all about solving mysteries—medical mysteries—but instead of figuring out “who done it” like a police detective would, they figure out “what caused it.” They find relationships between a medical condition and things like human behavior, environmental toxins, genes, medical treatments, other diseases, and geographical location. For example, they ask questions like what causes multiple sclerosis? How can we prevent brain cancer? What is the “vector” or animal that is transmitting the hantavirus? Which populations are most at risk from a new flu virus? Epidemiologists work to answer these and thousands of other questions in an effort to reduce public health risks. Their work has the potential to save millions of lives.			Agricultural Inspector Who works to protect the public health from food-borne illnesses? Agricultural inspectors. Everyone needs to eat, and agricultural inspectors work to ensure the quality and safety of the food supply to determine if they are in compliance. They also inspect farms, businesses, and food-processing plants to determine if they are in compliance with government food regulations and laws.
	Water & Liquid Waste Treatment Plant & System Operator Have you ever wondered what happens to that soapy water from your kitchen sink or laundry room washer, or the waste water from your bathroom? What about the water that factories discharge after making products? Or the water that runs off of roads and farmlands after a big storm? Water and liquid waste treatment plant and system operators run the amazing water treatment plants that remove pollutants and other harmful materials from waste water, so that it can be safely returned to the environment. These operators provide essential services that everyone in the community depends on every day to keep our water supply safe and clean.			Microbiologist Microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, algae, and fungi) are the most common life-forms on Earth. They help us digest nutrients; make foods like yogurt, bread, and olives; and create antibiotics. Some microbes also cause diseases. Microbiologists study the growth, structure, development, and general characteristics of microorganisms to promote health, industry, and a basic understanding of cellular functions.

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