Awareness of students with the bacterium Escherichia coli as a pathogen and probiotic

Teoretična izhodišča: Bakterije so lahko za nas smrtonosne in nam povzročijo velike težave, lahko pa nam tudi ob pravem znanju in pravi uporabi zelo izboljšajo kvaliteto življenja. Zelo dober primer predstavlja bakterija Escherichia coli, saj je prav tako patogena kot zelo koristna. V diplomskem delu smo predstavili in ugotavljali seznanjenost populacije študentov z bakterijo Escherichia coli, s patogenimi sevi bakterije E. coli, s probiotičnim sevom bakterije E. coli in s probiotiki. Raziskovalna metodologija: Raziskava je temeljila na kvantitativni metodologiji. S pomočjo anketnega vprašalnika smo pridobili podatke s seznanjenost študentov z bakterijo Escherichia coli kot patogen in probiotik, kateri je vseboval 15 vprašanj. V raziskavi je sodelovalo 40 študentov Fakultete za zdravstvene vede Maribor in Visoke zdravstvene šole Celje. Rezultati: Ugotovili smo, da študentje bolje poznajo bakterijo Escherichia coli kot patogen, kot probiotik. Četrtina anketiranih še ni slišala za probiotični sev bakterije Escherichia coli, vendar pa kar dobro poznajo pozitivne lastnosti probiotikov. Sklep: Na podlagi raziskovalnega dela, smo ugotovili, da študentje zdravstvenih fakultet vedo kaj je bakterija E. coli, vendar pa še vseeno niso dovolj seznanjeni s koristnimi lastnosti te bakterije, zato bi bilo potrebno o znanju in koristi probiotičnih mikroorganizmih bolj vključevati v učni načrt, saj vplivajo na naše zdravje preventivno in prav tako kurativno in s tem pomagajo pri marsikateri zdravstveni težavi.Theoretical framework: Bacteria can be deadly for us, or cause us great problems, but they can also greatly improve our quality of life, with the right knowledge and right use. A very good example is the bacteria Escherichia coli, because on one hand, it is pathogenic and on the other hand, it is also very useful. In this thesis, we presented and found out the awareness of the population of students with the bacteria E. coli, pathogenic strains of E. coli, probiotic strain of E. coli and probiotics. Research methodology: The research was based on quantitative methodology. With the help of a questionnaire, we obtained data with student’s awareness of Escherichia coli as a pathogen and a probiotic, which contained 15 questions. The research involved 40 students of the Faculty of Health Sciences Maribor and the High Medical School Celje. Results: We found that students are more familiar with Escherichia coli as a pathogen then as a probiotic. A quarter of students haven’t heard of the probiotic strain of Escherichia coli, but they are well aware of the positive properties of probiotics. Conclusion: Based on our thesis, we found that students know what E. coli is, but they are still not sufficiently aware of the beneficial properties of this bacterium. Therefore it is necessary to include information on the benefits of probiotic microorganisms in the curriculum since the effect on our health is preventive and also curative, and so may help in many health issues