The Effects of Expired Amoxicillin on E coli
Have you ever wondered if the expired medication in your medicine cabinet is still good? Can they be taken safely and with the same results as new medication? This experiment was designed to determine if expired amoxicillin works as well as vial amoxicillin in warding off Escherichia coli bacteria growth. This experiment consisted of both expired (3 months expired) and vial amoxicillin and E. coli. After putting agar into each petri dish, we streaked the solution, which consisted of: expired or vial amoxicillin; E. coli; and distilled water. After the streaking, the petri dishes (which were categorized, expired or vial) were incubated for 24 hours. The bacterial colonies were then observed and counted. Following the 40 trials of each medication, our data showed that more bacteria colonies were found when treated with the expired solution than that of the vial. After observations were complete, we concluded that although expired amoxicillin works, it does not work as well as new amoxicillin.
Research Done By:
Daniel Fragnoli
Sterling Heights High
Adam Rusinowski
Sterling Heights High
Warren Consolidated Schools