Molecular diagnostic analysis of outbreak scenarios

In the current laboratory assignment, technical aspects of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are integrated in the context of six different bacterial outbreak scenarios. The "Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus Sequence" (ERIC) PCR was used to analyze different outbreak scenarios. First, groups of 2-4 students determined optimal ERIC-PCR conditions to validate the protocol and subsequently applied ERIC-PCR to identify genetic relatedness among bacterial strains. Based on these genetic fingerprints, students selected the outbreak cases from the patient samples and assessed the risk factors for the outbreak scenario. Finally, students presented their findings during a classroom presentation. The results indicated that the assignment successfully facilitated student learning on the technical aspects of (ERIC) PCR and clearly demonstrated the practical application of PCR in a clinical diagnostic setting. Additionally, the assignment was highly appreciated by the students.