College lab class ends with 32 people on antibiotics for deadly germ exposure

Key Points:

• A microbiology lab class mistakenly believed they were exposed to the dangerous bacterium Neisseria meningitidis after misidentifying a nonpathogenic bacterium, leading 32 people to start antibiotic treatment as a precaution.
• The original mystery bacterium was supposed to be Plesiomonas shigelloides, but all students identified it as N. meningitidis, a pathogen requiring strict lab safety measures that were not in place.
• Investigation revealed a vial labeled N. meningitidis was mistakenly stored with harmless bacteria, and further testing identified the bacterium as Neisseria sicca, a nonpathogenic relative that caused the misidentification.
• The incident exposed significant lapses in lab inventory controls, labeling, storage, and safety protocols, prompting the university to overhaul its procedures to prevent future occurrences.
• Two individuals with mild symptoms underwent spinal taps to rule out infection, but no one was actually infected, highlighting the unnecessary medical interventions caused by the error.