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Oxoid rewards excellence in microbiology

Oxoid has acknowledged the excellent work of a young microbiologist at the University of Brighton. The inaugural Oxoid Prize for the best project in microbiology at the University of Brighton School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences was awarded to Sandra Clark for her work on the survival of hospital-acquired pathogens in a desiccated state.

In her project, Sandra assessed the survival of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter W6492, which were chosen for their significance as opportunistic hospital-acquired pathogens. Suspensions of organisms had been dried on different surfaces representative of those found in the hospital environment.

Sandra’s study demonstrated that P. aeruginosa was susceptible to desiccation and was not recovered in significant numbers from any of the incubated samples. However, S. aureus and Acinetobacter W6492 were detected at significant levels after prolonged incubations, demonstrating their persistence under stressed conditions, and their potential to cause contamination and subsequent infection in a hospital environment.

Sandra received the Oxoid Prize – a framed certificate and a cheque for £150 – prior to the graduation ceremonies in Brighton from Alison Smith, Oxoid pharmaceutical marketing manager.

www.oxoid.com

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