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Team:Glasgow/SafetyProject
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<h1>Project Safety</h1> | <h1>Project Safety</h1> | ||
| - | Prior to starting work in the lab, all participants attended a three day training course to teach essential techniques, particularly how to work aseptically. However, there were still many other safety issues that we needed to consider. <br /><br /> | + | Prior to starting work in the lab, all participants attended a three day training course to teach essential techniques, particularly how to work aseptically. However, there were still many other safety issues that we needed to consider. <br /> |
| - | We began by getting a safety briefing for the equipment we would be using and the building we would be working in. Each participating student was shown fire exits, the location of eye wash baths, the contents of the first aid box and also who the first aiders in our building are. We also read and signed all the relevant COSHH forms. <br /><br /> | + | <br /> |
| - | We had decided early on that we wanted to focus on biofilms, so we had to choose a microorganism that readily formed biofilms but was safe to work with. Our preference was to use a strain of E.coli, as it is easily modified and the lab strains have lost their virulence. Unfortunately we learnt that the majority of laboratory strains of E.coli have lost their ability to form biofilms. <br /><br /> | + | We began by getting a safety briefing for the equipment we would be using and the building we would be working in. Each participating student was shown fire exits, the location of eye wash baths, the contents of the first aid box and also who the first aiders in our building are. We also read and signed all the relevant COSHH forms. <br /> |
| - | We decided to attempt to form biofilms using two strains of E.coli (Top 10 and DS941), as their ability to form biofilms would have removed the need to work with the more pathogenic organism, Pseudomonas sp. However, the E.coli strains did not form suitable biofilms alone, so it became necessary to continue using Pseudomonas for the formation of the biofilms.<br /><br /> | + | <br /> |
| - | We are working with three Pseudomonas strains (P. aeruginosa, P. putida and P. florescens). Pseudomonas aeruginosa is | + | We had decided early on that we wanted to focus on biofilms, so we had to choose a microorganism that readily formed biofilms but was safe to work with. Our preference was to use a strain of E.coli, as it is easily modified and the lab strains have lost their virulence. Unfortunately we learnt that the majority of laboratory strains of E.coli have lost their ability to form biofilms. <br /> |
| + | <br /> | ||
| + | We decided to attempt to form biofilms using two strains of E.coli (Top 10 and DS941), as their ability to form biofilms would have removed the need to work with the more pathogenic organism, Pseudomonas sp. However, the E.coli strains did not form suitable biofilms alone, so it became necessary to continue using Pseudomonas for the formation of the biofilms.<br /> | ||
| + | <br /> | ||
| + | We are working with three Pseudomonas strains (P. aeruginosa, P. putida and P. florescens). Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen, Biosafety Level 2 microorganism. This meant that we had to carefully consider the safety of all researchers, as well as the public and environment before we began working with it. All work with Pseudomonas was carried out under supervised conditions, in a part of the building that was not accessible to the public. All participants were also shown the proper way of handling these organisms and (on the advice of the building safety officer) we also made sure that all participants who normally would wear contact lenses did not. P.putida is less pathogenic and so we also worked with this where possible. <br /> | ||
</html> | </html> | ||
Revision as of 13:42, 15 July 2011
Project Safety
Prior to starting work in the lab, all participants attended a three day training course to teach essential techniques, particularly how to work aseptically. However, there were still many other safety issues that we needed to consider.We began by getting a safety briefing for the equipment we would be using and the building we would be working in. Each participating student was shown fire exits, the location of eye wash baths, the contents of the first aid box and also who the first aiders in our building are. We also read and signed all the relevant COSHH forms.
We had decided early on that we wanted to focus on biofilms, so we had to choose a microorganism that readily formed biofilms but was safe to work with. Our preference was to use a strain of E.coli, as it is easily modified and the lab strains have lost their virulence. Unfortunately we learnt that the majority of laboratory strains of E.coli have lost their ability to form biofilms.
We decided to attempt to form biofilms using two strains of E.coli (Top 10 and DS941), as their ability to form biofilms would have removed the need to work with the more pathogenic organism, Pseudomonas sp. However, the E.coli strains did not form suitable biofilms alone, so it became necessary to continue using Pseudomonas for the formation of the biofilms.
We are working with three Pseudomonas strains (P. aeruginosa, P. putida and P. florescens). Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen, Biosafety Level 2 microorganism. This meant that we had to carefully consider the safety of all researchers, as well as the public and environment before we began working with it. All work with Pseudomonas was carried out under supervised conditions, in a part of the building that was not accessible to the public. All participants were also shown the proper way of handling these organisms and (on the advice of the building safety officer) we also made sure that all participants who normally would wear contact lenses did not. P.putida is less pathogenic and so we also worked with this where possible.
