Health Academy Students Explore Antibiotic Resistance Through Bacterial Conjugation Lab, 9/19/2026

---

Students in the Biomedical track of the Papillion La Vista Community Schools Health Academy recently completed a bacterial conjugation lab, gaining hands-on experience with one of the most pressing challenges in modern healthcare. Conjugation is the process by which bacteria transfer genetic material, such as antibiotic resistance genes, from one cell to another. It is one of the reasons antibiotic resistance can spread so quickly, and understanding it is key to addressing the problem.

The lab began with two strains of E. coli, each resistant to a different antibiotic. Students plated both strains onto four types of growth medium: one with no antibiotics, one with streptomycin, one with ampicillin, and one containing both. Before checking results, students predicted which plates each strain would survive on based on its known resistance, applying their understanding of microbiology to form testable hypotheses.

Once that initial growth was confirmed, students moved to the heart of the experiment. They mixed both strains together on a "mating" plate, giving the bacteria the opportunity to conjugate and exchange DNA overnight. The next day, students transferred cells from the mating plate onto three new antibiotic plates to determine whether conjugation had occurred. Bacterial growth on plates where the original strains should not have survived would provide evidence that antibiotic resistance genes had been successfully passed between them.

Throughout the multi-day process, students practiced sterile lab technique and followed careful, step-by-step procedures, the same skills relied upon in research laboratories and clinical settings. The experience offered a firsthand look at antibiotic resistance, a topic at the center of biomedical research and public health today.

Labs like this reflect the district's commitment to giving academy students authentic, career-connected learning experiences. By working through real scientific processes, Biomedical track students build both the technical skills and the scientific thinking they will need as they pursue future studies and careers in healthcare and life sciences.