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Bacteriology Science Fair Project

Acne Medications vs. Propionibacterium

Hard
Acne Medications vs. Propionibacterium | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Do prescription acne treatments fight bacteria better than store-bought ones? Many products claim to clear skin. This project compares their actual strength against the bacterium that causes acne. You test prescription antibiotics and over-the-counter medications against Propionibacterium acnes. Plant extracts like oregano oil and tea tree oil are also tested. Disks soaked in each treatment go onto agar plates with the bacteria. After incubation you measure the inhibition zone (the clear ring where bacteria cannot grow). The prescription antibiotics produced the largest zones. One surprise was oregano oil, which ranked third overall.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that prescription medications will be the most effective in inhibiting the growth of Propionibacterium acnes.

Method & Materials

You will test the active ingredients of two prescription antibiotics, three over the counter acne medications and two plant extracts against P. acnes.
You will need anaerobic conditions, disks containing the study medications and a control disk.

Results

The results showed that prescription medications were the most effective in inhibiting the growth of Propionibacterium acnes. Tetracycline had the highest average inhibition zone of 46.25 mm.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it shows how different medications can be used to fight bacteria that cause acne.

Also Consider

Experiment variations to consider include testing different concentrations of the medications or testing different types of bacteria.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.
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