Question from a student 20170503b

Q:
I found that the incubation periods (IP) of some of the bacteria are inconsistent in concept maps and the food microbiology notes. For instance, the IP of Clostridium botulinum is 8hours to 8 days as written on the concept map and said during class but that in the note of p.A-1 is 1.5-3days. For Staphylococcus aureus, the IP written on concept map is 2-6hrs and that on p.A-1 of the note is 1-6hrs. For Campylobacter jejuni, the IP is 2-9days on ppt notes but that on p.A-2 of note is 2-7 days. Should I refer the incubation period of bacteria and virus on the notes or on the concept maps? Thanks for your kind attention!

A:
As I have mentioned many times in my lectures that the incubation period for each pathogen is only an approximation. You will find that the incubation periods from different sources are not exactly the same, even from my concept map and notes. Due to two reasons, at least,

1. Many environmental factors would affect the incubation period.
2. Each species may have many strains and incubation periods for them may be different.

So use the approximate incubation period from either notes or concept maps would be acceptable.