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The Population Growth Of Escherichia Coli Essay

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Introduction The purpose of this lab experiment was to measure the population growth of Escherichia coli, or E. coli, a type of bacteria that can be found in the human body, specifically in the large intestine. It works to aid in digestion as well as the absorption of essential nutrients. While E. coli is extremely beneficial to the human body and most populations are safe for humans, some cause disease if they end up in food that is eaten (Trzepacz et al.) Sickness can occur when waste reaches a water supply, eating meat that is not properly cooked, or drinking milk that is not pasteurized properly. When working with this form of bacteria, it is extremely important to keep it contained for safe measure (Belk et al.) Additionally, this bacterium has also been cited as a cause of infections involving the bloodstream that have life threatening consequences. It is increasingly troubling because antibiotics are now becoming resistant (Collington, 2009.) E. coli is like all other bacteria in the way it carries out reproduction, in that it produces asexually through the process of binary fission. With this being said, the reason why E. coli was chosen specifically is because it grows at a quick pace and is readily available for observation in lab. During this experiment, the population growth of E. coli is measured overtime to observe which conditions allow for the most efficient growth of each culture. It was hypothesized that based upon prior knowledge of this form

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