Microbio

Microbe Mythbuster (Appendix B) from Microbiology: A Laboratory Experience by Holly Ahern is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. © 2018, Holly Ahren. UMGC has modified this work and it is available under the original license.

Microbe Myth Buster Topics

Use the list below to select your myth buster topic. Once your topic is selected, conduct research

on the subject to debunk the myth surrounding the topic. Make sure to follow the guidelines in

the Microbe Myth Buster Project document and in the grading rubric.

List of Potential Topics

• The measles vaccine may cause vaccinated children to develop autism or other autism-

related disorders like OCD and Asperger’s syndrome.

• The COVID-19 virus was created in a lab.

• Taking a probiotic pill containing bacterial cultures will improve your immune system and

therefore your ability to fight off colds and other infections.

• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on your skin will make you sick.

• Bottled water is “cleaner” (meaning won’t have any bacteria or viruses in it) and is

therefore better for you to drink than regular tap water from a municipal source.

• Getting an annual “flu shot” (influenza vaccine) means you will never have to worry

about getting the flu.

• The recently developed COVID-19 vaccines were created too quickly, and therefore they

are unsafe.

• If you drop something on the floor, it will still be safe to eat if you pick it up within 5

seconds of dropping it.

• It is safe and economical to use a sponge in your kitchen for cleaning surfaces because

they last for a long time.

• Hepatitis can be transmitted through the laundry.

• Using a plastic cutting board in your kitchen to cut up food is safer than using a wooden

cutting board.

• Herd immunity will guarantee the spread of COVID-19.

• Tuberculosis is a disease that we no longer have to worry about contracting here in the United States.

• You can tell if someone has HIV/AIDS by looking at them.

• Children do not need to be immunized because most diseases preventable by vaccine

(like mumps, measles, and polio) have been eliminated in the United States.

• If you see any mold growing anywhere in your house, you should probably move out

immediately because all molds are toxic.

• Using hand soaps or household cleaning products labelled as “antibacterial” is healthier

for you and your family.

• All respiratory tract infections require antibiotics.

• Women who are HIV positive cannot get pregnant.

• Drinking lots of cranberry juice will prevent or cure urinary tract infections.

• “Raw” or unpasteurized dairy products contain deadly microorganisms and should never

be consumed by humans.

• It’s OK to let your dog “kiss” you on the mouth because a dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human mouth.

• Getting salad from a salad bar is perfectly safe because the plastic cover over the top

protects the food from being contaminated.

• You can catch genital herpes or chlamydia by sitting on a toilet seat in a public restroom.

• Development of the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) may be the result of an

infection caused by bacteria or a virus.

• Meat like ground beef and chicken should always be cooked “well done” because

otherwise it is not safe to eat.

• Using a product that contains zinc gluconate will shorten the duration of the common cold.

• Using a product that contains the herb Echinacea will prevent you from getting a cold or the flu.

• If you chew gum, your mouth will be “cleaner” (meaning, have fewer plaque-forming

bacteria) than if you don’t chew gum.

• If you pick up a toad and it pees on your hand, you’ll get a wart at the spot where the

pee touches your skin.

• The use of mineral supplements and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

• The use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers increases the occurrence of bacterial

resistance.

• The anti-malarial drug, hydroxychloroquine, is effective for the treatment of COVID-19.