33 Students Treated for Deadly Bacteria Exposure When Classroom Experiment Goes Horribly Wrong

A group of 33 undergraduates at an unnamed university in Utah found themselves at the center of a serious public health crisis last September after a mishap in a science lab. The students had been assigned the task of identifying a bacterium called P. shigelloides, a relatively benign pathogen responsible for causing diarrhea when ingested. However, the specimens provided for the practical lab exercise turned out to be Neisseria meningitidis, a potentially lethal bacterium that leads to meningitis.

The students were taken aback upon discovering the actual pathogen, as N. meningitidis demands stringent safety measures such as double gloves, disposable clothing, and N95 masks as the minimum protective gear. Tragically, a 2012 incident involving a 25-year-old microbiologist who was inadequately equipped to handle N. meningitidis resulted in their death within hours of exposure to the airborne microbe.

Utah public health authorities swiftly intervened upon noticing the discrepancy, with samples found in the university's stockroom labeled as "N. meningitidis." This discovery led to the recommendation that all 33 exposed students commence an antibiotic regimen, particularly considering the students' minimal protective gear during the exposure incident. Two individuals sought medical attention due to potential exposure symptoms, including a painful and invasive spinal tap.

Following the uproar, further professional laboratory tests concluded that the offending pathogen was Neisseria sicca, a nonpathogenic bacterium commonly found in the upper respiratory tract, according to a recent CDC study of the Utah lab incident. Despite the misidentification, the event accentuates the critical need for accurate labeling of microbial cultures, lest aspiring biologists become victims of their own meticulous studies.