An Undergraduate Laboratory Activity Demonstrating Bacteriophage Specificity

Bacteriophage are among the most diverse and numerous microbes inhabiting our planet. Yet many laboratory activities fail to engage students in meaningful exploration of their diversity, unique characteristics, and abundance. In this curriculum activity students use a standard plaque assay to enumer...

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Autores principales:	Mary E. Allen, Ruth A. Gyure
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	American Society for Microbiology 2013
Materias:	Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Biology (General) QH301-705.5
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/f42b7a2cd78d4c1dba9871b940a8ec60
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:f42b7a2cd78d4c1dba9871b940a8ec602021-11-15T15:03:51ZAn Undergraduate Laboratory Activity Demonstrating Bacteriophage Specificity10.1128/jmbe.v14i1.5341935-78851935-7877https://doaj.org/article/f42b7a2cd78d4c1dba9871b940a8ec602013-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jmbe.v14i1.534https://doaj.org/toc/1935-7877https://doaj.org/toc/1935-7885Bacteriophage are among the most diverse and numerous microbes inhabiting our planet. Yet many laboratory activities fail to engage students in meaningful exploration of their diversity, unique characteristics, and abundance. In this curriculum activity students use a standard plaque assay to enumerate bacteriophage particles from a natural sample and use the scientific method to address questions about host specificity and diversity. A raw primary sewage sample is enriched for bacteriophage using hosts in the family Enterobacteriaceae. Students hypothesize about host specificity and use quantitative data (serial dilution and plaque assay) to test their hypotheses. Combined class data also help them answer questions about phage diversity. The exercise was field tested with a class of 47 students using pre- and posttests. For all learning outcomes posttest scores were higher than pretest scores at or below p = 0.01. Average individualized learning gain (G) was also calculated for each learning outcome. Students’ use of scientific language in reference to bacteriophage and host interaction significantly improved (p = 0.002; G = 0.50). Improved means of expression helped students construct better hypotheses on phage host specificity (G = 0.31, p = 0.01) and to explain the plaque assay method (G = 0.33, p = 0.002). At the end of the exercise students also demonstrated improved knowledge and understanding of phage specificity as related to phage therapy in humans (p < 0.001; G = 51).Mary E. AllenRuth A. GyureAmerican Society for MicrobiologyarticleSpecial aspects of educationLC8-6691Biology (General)QH301-705.5ENJournal of Microbiology & Biology Education, Vol 14, Iss 1, Pp 84-92 (2013)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Biology (General) QH301-705.5
spellingShingle	Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Mary E. Allen Ruth A. Gyure An Undergraduate Laboratory Activity Demonstrating Bacteriophage Specificity
description	Bacteriophage are among the most diverse and numerous microbes inhabiting our planet. Yet many laboratory activities fail to engage students in meaningful exploration of their diversity, unique characteristics, and abundance. In this curriculum activity students use a standard plaque assay to enumerate bacteriophage particles from a natural sample and use the scientific method to address questions about host specificity and diversity. A raw primary sewage sample is enriched for bacteriophage using hosts in the family Enterobacteriaceae. Students hypothesize about host specificity and use quantitative data (serial dilution and plaque assay) to test their hypotheses. Combined class data also help them answer questions about phage diversity. The exercise was field tested with a class of 47 students using pre- and posttests. For all learning outcomes posttest scores were higher than pretest scores at or below p = 0.01. Average individualized learning gain (G) was also calculated for each learning outcome. Students’ use of scientific language in reference to bacteriophage and host interaction significantly improved (p = 0.002; G = 0.50). Improved means of expression helped students construct better hypotheses on phage host specificity (G = 0.31, p = 0.01) and to explain the plaque assay method (G = 0.33, p = 0.002). At the end of the exercise students also demonstrated improved knowledge and understanding of phage specificity as related to phage therapy in humans (p < 0.001; G = 51).
format	article
author	Mary E. Allen Ruth A. Gyure
author_facet	Mary E. Allen Ruth A. Gyure
author_sort	Mary E. Allen
title	An Undergraduate Laboratory Activity Demonstrating Bacteriophage Specificity
title_short	An Undergraduate Laboratory Activity Demonstrating Bacteriophage Specificity
title_full	An Undergraduate Laboratory Activity Demonstrating Bacteriophage Specificity
title_fullStr	An Undergraduate Laboratory Activity Demonstrating Bacteriophage Specificity
title_full_unstemmed	An Undergraduate Laboratory Activity Demonstrating Bacteriophage Specificity
title_sort	undergraduate laboratory activity demonstrating bacteriophage specificity
publisher	American Society for Microbiology
publishDate	2013
url	https://doaj.org/article/f42b7a2cd78d4c1dba9871b940a8ec60
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An Undergraduate Laboratory Activity Demonstrating Bacteriophage Specificity

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