Backyard Soil Sample Used to Combat Antibiotic Resistance
Location
CoLab, OCB 100
Start Date
27-4-2018 12:00 PM
Document Type
Poster
Description
The objective of my experiment is to find bacteria from my soil sample that inhibit the growth of other bacteria, specifically gram-negative bacteria. This experiment is important because a very large percentage of antibiotics are derived from soil, and the rate at which bacteria is becoming resistant to antibiotics and is creating more “super bug” infections is on the rise. I chose soil from an area at the back of my yard where many different types of weeds, bushes, flowers, and trees grow. My thought process is there may be a lot of different types of bacteria in that area since there are so many different types of vegetation that grow there. Using the soil dilution method to obtain countable plates and then making a master plate, I have discovered some promising bacteria that seem to inhibit a couple of the ESKAPE relatives. There is one bacteria in my experiment that is inhibiting Enterococcus faecalis, and another inhibiting Staphylococcus epidermis. This experiment is not concluded yet, so I do not have any definitive results. Through genetic testing and metabolic methods, I will determine what the bacteria is that I found. I will also use phylogenetics to help determine if a new antibiotic has been discovered.
Image
Backyard Soil Sample Used to Combat Antibiotic Resistance
CoLab, OCB 100
The objective of my experiment is to find bacteria from my soil sample that inhibit the growth of other bacteria, specifically gram-negative bacteria. This experiment is important because a very large percentage of antibiotics are derived from soil, and the rate at which bacteria is becoming resistant to antibiotics and is creating more “super bug” infections is on the rise. I chose soil from an area at the back of my yard where many different types of weeds, bushes, flowers, and trees grow. My thought process is there may be a lot of different types of bacteria in that area since there are so many different types of vegetation that grow there. Using the soil dilution method to obtain countable plates and then making a master plate, I have discovered some promising bacteria that seem to inhibit a couple of the ESKAPE relatives. There is one bacteria in my experiment that is inhibiting Enterococcus faecalis, and another inhibiting Staphylococcus epidermis. This experiment is not concluded yet, so I do not have any definitive results. Through genetic testing and metabolic methods, I will determine what the bacteria is that I found. I will also use phylogenetics to help determine if a new antibiotic has been discovered.
Comments
The faculty supervisor for this project was Heather Seitz, Biology.