health
College lab class ends with 32 people on antibiotics for deadly germ exposure
Lab students were supposed to ID a mild germ. They all identified a deadly pathogen.
TL;DR
- 33 people in a college microbiology lab class believed they were exposed to a deadly germ, Neisseria meningitidis.
- 32 individuals started a 10-day antibiotic course as a precaution.
- Two people developed mild symptoms and underwent spinal taps.
- The actual bacterium was identified as Neisseria sicca, a nonpathogenic relative of N. meningitidis.
- The misidentification occurred due to N. sicca's atypical carbohydrate fermentation patterns.
- An error in labeling a storage vial also contributed to the incident.
- The university's inventory and handling procedures for biological materials were found to be inadequate.
- The university has since overhauled its procedures and protocols.