Those that work in and the customers who enjoy the casino environment may be at
risk for exposure to infectious diseases, especially bacterial diseases. The
purpose of this study to determine if and what type of bacterial microorganisms
live on gaming chips. A total of 26 gaming chips (13 used actively in a casino
and 13 never used) were utilized for the study. Swabs of the chips were
performed and placed on blood agar Petri dishes where cultures were allowed to
grow for 48 hours. The results of this growth showed a statistically
significant number of bacteria and fungi development with a p < 0.05.
Additional statistical analysis was performed on the level of contamination
based on used versus unused chips and on the location of the swab related to
the obverse, reverse or rim of the chip, with overall results being
statistically significant for the presence of pathogenic contaminants. Further
microscopic examination of the cell arrangements of the yellow colonies, found
on plates 1, 4, 24, 28, 36, 43, 46, 49, 53, 56, 68, 71, and 77, were
diplococcic and in tetrads which means that this was most likely a hand
bacterium known as Micrococcus luteus (Greenblatt et al., 2004). The fungus,
showed conclusively under a microscope to be a fungus, however without
expensive DNA sequencing it was not possible to determine which type. Moreover,
the fungus resulted in complete hemolysis within the agar Petri dish, also
known as beta-hemolysis (β-hemolysis). This increased hemolysis suggested that
the fungi were capable of being pathogenic. With the increased awareness of
disease causing micro-organisms and the recent pandemics associated with
influenza, these results show that casino gaming chips can be carriers of
organisms that can cause illness in susceptible populations.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Gaming Chip Sanitation (Poster)
Those that work in and the customers who enjoy the casino environment may be at
risk for exposure to infectious diseases, especially bacterial diseases. The
purpose of this study to determine if and what type of bacterial microorganisms
live on gaming chips. A total of 26 gaming chips (13 used actively in a casino
and 13 never used) were utilized for the study. Swabs of the chips were
performed and placed on blood agar Petri dishes where cultures were allowed to
grow for 48 hours. The results of this growth showed a statistically
significant number of bacteria and fungi development with a p < 0.05.
Additional statistical analysis was performed on the level of contamination
based on used versus unused chips and on the location of the swab related to
the obverse, reverse or rim of the chip, with overall results being
statistically significant for the presence of pathogenic contaminants. Further
microscopic examination of the cell arrangements of the yellow colonies, found
on plates 1, 4, 24, 28, 36, 43, 46, 49, 53, 56, 68, 71, and 77, were
diplococcic and in tetrads which means that this was most likely a hand
bacterium known as Micrococcus luteus (Greenblatt et al., 2004). The fungus,
showed conclusively under a microscope to be a fungus, however without
expensive DNA sequencing it was not possible to determine which type. Moreover,
the fungus resulted in complete hemolysis within the agar Petri dish, also
known as beta-hemolysis (β-hemolysis). This increased hemolysis suggested that
the fungi were capable of being pathogenic. With the increased awareness of
disease causing micro-organisms and the recent pandemics associated with
influenza, these results show that casino gaming chips can be carriers of
organisms that can cause illness in susceptible populations.
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Looks very interesting! What do you think would you want to see this at the AEC in Vegas?
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