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

A college laboratory class experienced a serious safety incident when students misidentified a deadly pathogen as a mild germ during an identification exercise, resulting in 32 people requiring antibiotic treatment. The exposure highlights critical failures in lab safety protocols and training that allowed a dangerous microorganism to be improperly handled. The incident raises significant concerns about laboratory containment procedures and student preparation in microbiology coursework.