AllTop Viral!

It’s been said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and one mom’s beautiful handprint is another mom’s call for hand sanitizer.

Tasha Sturm decided to make a most unusual memento of her eight-year-old son’s time outside by creating a bacterial handprint when he came inside.

As she explained:

Tryptic Soy Agar (TSA) can be purchased through a number of companies (Fisher Scientific, Hardy Diagnostics, Neogen). Most sell it in the powdered form, add water, autoclave, cool to about 55 degrees then pour into the plate, cover with the lid then let solidify. Once the plates are cool then place the hand on the plate making sure to gently pressing the fingers/palm to make contact with the agar. Cover the plate with the lid and place in a 37 degree C incubator for 24-48 hrs……incubate agar side up. This will grow the normal flora on the hand like Staph., Micrococcus, etc. Take the plate out and let it incubate/set out with the lid on at room temp (22 degrees C) for several days (3+ days). Normal flora will continue to grow (slowly) and yeast/fungi will start to grow….usually colored colonies (red/pink/yellow). It will also help bacteria like Serratia turn red. Once grown the plate should be treated as a Biohaz and disposed of properly. The plate should not be opened if mold/fungi is present without proper respiratory protection. Hope this helps.

Yep, biohazard, but that doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone who sees the bathtub water at the end of the day.

Full story at MicrobeWorld via Neatorama.

Kids and their dirt.

Photo credit: Tasha Sturm, Cabrillo College, Graphics credit: Canva