The Effect of Chemical and Natural Treatments on Staphylococcus Epidermidis
In this experiment, four treatments were tested on the zone of inhibition of Staphyloccocus epidermidis. The independent variables consisted of type of treatment: chemical (benzoyl peroxide, vancomycin) or natural (tea tree oil, snail mucus). The zone of inhibition was the dependent variable. The purpose of this research was to determine which treatment would produce the greatest zone of inhibition. Determining which treatment would inhibit the most bacteria would aid in the prevention of acne.
To collect data, one hundred twenty petri dishes were prepared with agar and S. epidermidis. Each treatment was placed in thirty different petri dishes and left in an incubator overnight. After allowing the bacteria to grow overnight, the diameter of the zone of inhibition was measured in millimeters from three different angles, averaged, and plotted on a graph. Based on the box plot results, benzoyl peroxide and tea tree oil produced the greatest zones of inhibition with tea tree oil having the greatest mean zone of inhibition. To further interpret and compare the results of each pairing, five two-sample t-tests were conducted. The p-values for the tests showed that benzoyl peroxide and tea tree oil inhibited more bacteria growth than vancomycin and snail mucus.
Research Conducted By:
Jillian Estrope
Cousino High School
Geselle Tablada
Warren Mott High School
Warren Consolidated Schools