Escherichia Coli Research Paper

Escherichia Coli, also referred to as E.coli, is a common bacterium, which can be found in diverse environments, including gastrointestinal tracts of animals and humans. Used as a model bacteria in laboratories, as it has both pathogenic and non-pathogenic outcomes. Derived from Penicillin, Ampicillin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, which is used to prevent and treat a range of bacterial infections. This antibiotic, which works against bacteria by inhibiting cell wall synthesis. The structure of ampicillin contributes to the effectiveness against bacteria, as it inhibits the growth of beta lactamase, an enzyme produced by bacteria to inactivate antibiotics.

Ampicillin projects ranges of optimal inhibition of E.coli growth and the minimum Inhibitory

Concentration (MIC) is the lowest concentration of antibiotic that will inhibit the growth of a bacteria. To be considered effective, the annular radius of the concentration of ampicillin required to inhibit the growth of E.coli is 6mm or above. However, if below, the antibiotic is considered ineffective. This experiment aims to determine the effectiveness of different concentrations of ampicillin as inhibitors against bacterial growth of E.coli. The independent variable being the concentration of ampicillin (ug/ml), and the dependent variable is the inhibiting growth of E.coli as measured by the Zone of Inhibition (mm). The controlled variables are the temperature of incubator, amount of dH2O, and the amount of Ampicllin
A range of ampicillin concentrations will be tested on the growth of E.coli using the disc diffusion method. This technique tests the effectiveness of antibiotics on a specific microorganism where the ampicillin solutions are prepared by serial dilution. The zone of Inhibition measured determines the minimum inhibitory concentration of ampicillin. It is hypothesised if a lower concentration of ampicillin (ug/ml) is added to the dH2O solution, then the Zone of Inhibition (mm) will be smaller because of the antibiotic inhibiting the growth of E.coli.