Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi. I am very interested in researching whether dog saliva kills bacteria. I discovered the idea on line. They recommended using Staphylcoccus epidermis bacteria...But it appears to be diffuclt to buy and may be somewhat dangerous. What other bacteria would you recommend and where could I get it to grow in agar? Should I simply take a swab from door knobs, ect?

Thanks!

Hi mrlittleton,
That is an excellent idea! There are a number of bacteria that you can use. E. coli is an example. Many bacteria can be dangerous if not handled well. However, if you take the necessary precautions (washing your hands, disinfecting your work surfaces with bleach, sterilizing the metal tools that you use), then the danger can be reduced. This is a science fair project idea from the Science Buddies website that is quite similar to what you would like to do: http://www.sciencebuddies.com/science-f ... v&from=TSW.
Aside from giving a guide as to the possible steps that you can follow in your experiment, it also provides you the safety measures that you can observe.

There are online suppliers from which you can purchase your bacteria. You can also consider isolating bacteria from the environment (e.g. air, door knob). However, you may have a mixture of bacteria, in this case.

I think you have a great idea for your project. Please feel free to ask if you have more questions.

ckline