Determining the Development and Transferability of Bacteria from One Piece of Athletic Equipment to Another

Overview

Objectives/Goals My objective was to find out how much bacteria accumulated/developed on a baseball bat, and basketball under normal use. I then used that data as my baseline for the tests I conducted determining how much bacteria transferred from the ball to the bat, and vice versa. Methods/Materials The way I completed my project was first I checked how much bacteria was on a basketball, and a baseball bat grip after using each for a 2 hour practice period. I checked the amount of bacteria present by swabbing each piece of equipment with a sterile cotton swab, and then #S# streaked an agar treated petri dish. I let the dish culturate for 48 hours, and then counted the number of bacterial cultures present in the dish. I completed 5 of each of these pre-tests, so that I#d have a good idea how much bacteria typically exists on these surfaces. I then wanted to see how much bacteria could be transferred from one surface to another. I put on two sets of sterile latex gloves, so that no bacteria could or would come into contact with my skin. I cleaned the basketball with two alcohol/antibacterial wipes. I swung the bat for two minutes (about 25 pitches), so that the bacteria might possibly transfer onto my glove covered hands. I then handled the ball for two minutes, without letting it touch the ground. I then tested the basketball for transferred bacteria. I also did the test in the reverse order of ball to bat. I made certain that I changed gloves after every test so that I wouldn#t contaminate any of the results. I did each type of transferability test five times so that I would get conclusive results. Results I thought that the bacteria would be passed most easily from the ball to the bat. I was wrong, because more than double the amount of bacteria was transferred from the bat to the ball, than from the ball to the bat. Conclusions/Discussion What I learned from my investigation is that it is much more safe to handle a basketball, than it is a baseball bat. The bat#s pre-tests had more than double the bacterial amounts than the basketball#s pre-tests. Also, I learned it is much safer to play with the basketball, and then the baseball bat, and not vice-versa. The bat to the ball transferability tests had more than double the bacteria than the ball to the bat tests.

Competition history

• CSEF 2006 Microbiology · Entry J1306

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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