Week #3 2/8-2/14

We were all 'forced' to read The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka during some literary course in college, right? Well, I actually read it abroad; La Metamorfosis, which only added an additional language barrier in understanding the novel. Now, I am not going to delve into the ethical or philosophical aspects of humanity, nor do I see myself as a pessimist, but the title came to mind when I started this 3rd week of my internship as I am going through  my own scientific metamorphosis. Below, is a picture of my work station, which is becoming disorganized quite nicely.

With a business, education, and Spanish background, I am turning into a science "nerd" and the simplest of experiments, which may be shrugged off by many, are opening my eyes to what this magical realm has to offer. As you know, my project is focusing on the anti-microbial agents of plant life and especially those of native plants to Arizona. In order to gain some practice and to broaden the scope of the project, my first subject was garlic.

On February 11th, I prepared four lawn cultures on Mueller Hinton agar plates; two with Escherichia coli and two with Staphylococcus aureus. I then applied approximately .20 grams of garlic powder in one of each as well as a garlic clove. I incubated the cultures at room temperature for 48 hours. To give you a better understanding, I am measuring zones on inhibition or areas over which the applied bacteria is unable to grow due to the anti-microbial agents of the specified plant.

Yesterday, I walked into this (my apologies for the glare). I remember not being in an especially good mood, but as soon as I saw my plates, I was ecstatic. Although, due to my application technique, the garlic cloves did not ward of the bacteria, the zones of the garlic powder were amazing: approximately 1.5 mm for the E. coli, and 2.5 mm for the Staph A. I was in a great mood for the rest of the day. Who would have thought such a minor measurement would have changed my spirits and brought a smile to my face? 

I was quick to repeat the experiment; this time using crushed garlic, less garlic powder (approximately .10 grams), and a shorter incubation period. This picture shows the zones of inhibition the garlic has on these two bacteria. Keep in mind, we are dealing with both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. At this juncture, it is too early to determine the roles of the amount of garlic used, time of incubation, or temperature; however, it is clear that garlic possesses anti-microbial agents.

Would you like a sneak peek into next week? Although I love garlic, this one has a more aromatic smell to it. Any guesses? I will give you a hint. It is known for its anti-inflammatory properties and may just soothe your upset stomach. Stay tuned for what this root's potential anti-microbial agent has to offer!

P.S. No, I am not a cucaracha, but I would recommend La Metamorfosis. It's a good read!