Transcript Staphylococcus aureus - York College of Pennsylvania

Yoga Mats Support the Growth of Staphylococcus aureus
Tiffany King, Department of Biological Science, York College of Pennsylvania
Materials
Yoga Mats:
A- Terra Pure Eco Yoga Mat
Made of (Thermal Plastic Elastomers) TPE, no heavy
metals, PVC, or toxic materials
B- Classic Yoga Exercise Mat
Closed cell PVC, 100% latex free
C- Clean freak Sports Hygiene Yoga Mat
Contain Triclosan (an antimicrobial compound). Made by
2thePoint innovations, inc.
D- Natural Fitness Pro
Natural open-celled rubber, biodegradable, contains no
PVC, cadmium, or lead. Made by natural fitness Inc.
.
Yoga Mat
Total Growth1
# of Colonies/mL
Terra Pure
0.01264
105
Classic Yoga
0.38788
10190
Clean Freak
0.1264
1060
Natural Fitness
0
0
1Absorbance
2.
at 280nm
Staphylococcus aureus (SA)
Staph aureus on yoga mats
growth
0.5
Cut 1" mat area (6)
Add 0.5 mL of SA broth to mats
Incubate overnight at 37°C
Mat
Mat
Mat
Mat
*
0.4
A: Terra Pure
B: Classic Yoga
C:Clean Freak
D: Natural Fitness
0.3
0.2
0.1
Results
Research Questions
1) What bacteria, if any, are present on new yoga
mats?
D
M
at
B
C
M
at
SA removal, absorbance reading
M
at
A
0.0
M
at
Staphylococcus aureus (SA) is a gram positive
microorganism that causes numerous infections, from
food poisoning to skin lesions (Toledo-Arana et al,
2005)
Development of antibiotics led to microbial
resistance (Patel, 2007).
Resistance led to name: Methicillin-Resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (Patel, 2007)
Methods
:
 2 types of MRSA (Patel, 2007)
oCommunity Acquired MRSA:
1.
Sport setting
Bacterial Assemblages
Healthy adolescents and adults
oNosocomial Acquired MRSA:
1" area swabbed for growth (4)
Affecting sick and elderly
Healthcare setting
-Hospitals
Incubated overnight at 37°C
-Nursing homes
Increase number of MRSA cases over the years
(Patel, 2007).
Classified bacterial growth
Seen much more frequently in volleyball, football,
fencing, rugby and wrestling due to sharing
equipment and clothing (Patel, 2007).
Many studies have examined the occurrence of
MRSA over numerous gyms and athletes, but have
not concentrated on growth on gym equipment
Bacterial Assemblages:
Table 2. Bacterial assemblages isolated from each yoga mat prior to experimentation
Absorbance (280nm)
Introduction
Staphylococcus growth:
Figure 1. The above graph shows the total growth exhibited by Staphylococcus aureus on
each mat. The total growth was determined by subtracting the final absorbance from the
initial. The data from the graph was analyzed using a one way ANOVA, which resulted in a p
value of 0.0001. The p value showed a significant difference between the absorbance of Mat B
to all the other mats. The greatest growth of Staphylococcus aureus was seen in Mat B, the
Classic Yoga Mat.
Discussion:
1) The Classic Yoga Mat showed the highest growth of SA.
2) Differences may be due to the type of material. Certain mats
absorbed SA into the mat preventing colony isolation and
leading to a lower absorbance reading.
3) SA growth on the Clean Freak mat could have exceeded the
antibacterial threshold allowing for SA to growth and colonize
the mat. This mat may be antibacterial up to 0.5mL of
bacteria.
4) Research has found SA to be developing resistance to
Triclosan, which may account for SA growth on Mat C (Suller
2000).
2) Can mats support growth of Staphylococcus
aureus?
Purpose
•To categorize bacteria colonizing yoga mats prior to
being used.
•To analyze if yoga mats can support the growth of
Staphylococcus aureus.
• It was hypothesized that yoga mats will support the
growth of Staph.
Take Home Message:
Table 1. Total growth of Staphylococcus aureus on each mat
Yoga Mat
Terra Pure Eco
Classic Yoga
Mat
Assemblages
G-rods: rough colony: + endospores,
smooth colony: long rods, chains, thin
G- rods, long
Clean Freak
G+ cocci, clusters
Natural Fitness
Nothing
- MRSA is become more and more prevalent in gyms. Greater
care must be taken to protect ourselves from possibly
contracting MRSA.
Literature Cited
Patel, A., Fischer, S., Calfee,R., Plante,M., & Fadale, P. 2007. Locker room acquired MethicillinResistant Staphylococcus aureus. Orthopedics 30:532.
Suller, M. and Russell,A. 2000. Triclosan and antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus.
Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 46:11-18.
Toledo-Arana, A., Merino, N., Vergara-Irigaray,M., Debarbouille, M., Penades, J., and Lasa, I. 2005.
Staphylococcus aureus develops an alternative, ica-independent biofilm in the absence of the
arlRS two-component system. Journal of Bacteriology 187: 5318-5329.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Dr. Mathur for her constant support and guidance during this project.