College Lab Incident Leads to Antibiotic Use After False Germ Exposure
A microbiology lab class at a college experienced a significant scare when 33 individuals, including students, professors, and lab workers, believed they were exposed to a deadly germ. This led 32 of them to begin an antibiotic regimen as a precaution against a life-threatening infection. Additionally, two individuals underwent lumbar punctures after developing mild symptoms. The incident, which was later revealed to be a false alarm, was detailed in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The lab exercise involved students identifying a mystery bacterium, which was intended to be Plesiomonas shigelloides, a common and non-threatening bacterium. However, the students mistakenly identified it as Neisseria meningitidis, a dangerous pathogen that can cause meningitis and bloodstream infections. This misidentification led to the precautionary measures, despite the fact that no actual exposure to a dangerous pathogen occurred. 
