Comparing Antimicrobial Effectiveness: Synthetic vs Natural Substances

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Research Question
Are synthetic antimicrobial substances (Dettol and Ajax) more effective at inhibiting the growth of the Escherichia coli bacterium than natural substances (Eucalyptus oil and tea tree oil)?
Background Information
Escherichia coli, also referred to as E.coli, is a rod-shaped, gram-negative bacterium. It is about 1-3 micrometres long, and around 0.25 micrometres in diameter (Microbe Wiki. 2004). The bacterium is typically found within the lower intestine of the digestive tracts of warm-blooded organisms, including those of a human. (Zhang Lab. N/A)

(Health News. 2011)

Generally, they are part of a healthy human intestinal tract and thus are harmless. However, some strains of the bacteria are pathogenic, and can cause …show more content…

Close the lid, flip it over and close it tightly with parafilm tape
5. Label plate with the name of bacterium (E.coli),
6. Repeat step 3~4 four more times.
7. Place agar plates in an incubator upside down to stop moisture trapped inside falling upon the samples.
8. After 24 hours, remove agar plates from incubator and measure the greatest length from the filter discs of bacteria inhibition. Leave plates closed.

Results
Qualitative Data
During the experiment, it was observed that the area of inhibition of the E.coli bacterium was significantly larger on average with the filter discs treated with natural antimicrobial substances (tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil), compared to the synthetic substances (Ajax and Dettol). The tea tree oil’s diameter of area of inhibition recorded 8.0mm, and eucalyptus with 13.9mm. Ajax recorded 2.6mm, and Dettol with 7.0mm. However, trial 5 of the tea tree oil was recorded as 0, meaning it had no effect on the bacteria.
Quantitative Data (Raw and Processed)

Antimicrobial substance Diameter of inhibited bacterial growth (mm ± 0.1) Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5 Average Standard deviation
Ajax 2.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 4.0 2.6 0.8
Dettol 9.0 6.0 6.0 8.0 6.0 7.0 1.3 Tea Tree Oil 15.0 10.0 5.0 10.0 0.0 8.0 …show more content…

This was clearly shown through the average diameter of the inhibited growth of the bacterium, with tea tree oil having the diameter of 8.0mm and eucalyptus oil of 13.9mm, compared to Ajax of 2.6mm and Dettol of 7.0mm in diameter.
The results objects the hypothesis of this investigation, which stated that synthetic substances would have had more effect on the bacteria than natural substances.
Evaluation
Evaluation of Results and Method
In this investigation, there were some limited factors. The experiment of each substance was done by different groups, which could have affected the experiment on factors such as how well the bacteria were spread across the agar plate. Also, the procedure stated to evenly spread the filter disks; the distance was not measured during the experiment. This could have had impact on the results, as some disks may have been closer to each

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