Aseptic Technique

The most important goal when working with microorganisms is to prevent the organisms from causing an infection. The word aseptic means preventing sepsis, the presence of bacteria, their toxins and their waste products in our blood and tissues. One of the major advances in microbiology and medicine of the 19^th Century was the development of these aseptic techniques to prevent infection in patients and health care workers.

In this class we will only work with common bacteria that we encounter on a regular basis with no harmful effects. However, when we grow bacteria in pure culture, they will be present in huge numbers. Introduction of these bacteria into inappropriate locations (under your skin by a piece of broken glassware or into your eye by careless rubbing) could result in a nasty infection. Safety is always the number one concern in laboratory, but that concern is magnified when working with bacteria.

Following is a short list of dos and don'ts of aseptic techniques that we will follow in this laboratory. Many of these will seem like common sense, but you would be amazed how often these rules get broken by careless or inattentive lab workers.

• Absolutely no food or drink in the laboratory. This includes gum.
• Never allow anything to get near your face, especially your hands. Many germs are transmitted by the hands, especially when the eyes are rubbed.
• Use a disinfectant solution to clean your work area before and after the laboratory exercise. There is a squeeze bottle of disinfectant on each table. Spray some of this solution on your work area and then wipe with a damp sponge. Wash your hands thoroughly after handling the disinfectant.
• Never wave around in the air the tools you'll be using to move bacteria. This will cause sterile instruments to become contaminated or, if there are bacteria on the instruments, they will be tossed about in the air.
• Know where all contaminated samples are to be discarded and discard used materials promptly and to the correct locations. Specific instructions will be provided by your instructor