Potential Candidates from Creekside Soil
Location
CoLab, OCB 100
Start Date
27-4-2018 10:30 AM
Document Type
Poster
Description
Today’s world is in need of new antibiotics because the ones we have in use now are becoming less and less effective. This is due to bacteria becoming more antibiotic resistant, the more we use those antibiotics. Most antibiotics come from other bacteria located in the soil. In my research project, I have been testing potential candidates, found from my soil that I obtained next to a creek, against bacteria closely related to the ESKAPE pathogens. The ESKAPE pathogens are the six most dangerous bacteria, which are commonly found in healthcare settings, because that are able to resist many antibiotics. This is done by first isolating bacteria by serial dilution, then creating a master plate containing bacteria that are potential antibiotic-producing candidates. A potential candidate is a bacteria that creates a zone of inhibition or inhibits the growth of other bacteria. After that, I test my candidates against the bacteria closely related to the ESKAPE pathogens to see if they are able to inhibit the growth or create a zone of inhibition. If one of my candidates stands out, I will perform a simple stain as well as sequencing its DNA. My research project will either show evidence to a new possible antibiotic or be able to rule out a bacterium that is not able to become a new antibiotic.
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Potential Candidates from Creekside Soil
CoLab, OCB 100
Today’s world is in need of new antibiotics because the ones we have in use now are becoming less and less effective. This is due to bacteria becoming more antibiotic resistant, the more we use those antibiotics. Most antibiotics come from other bacteria located in the soil. In my research project, I have been testing potential candidates, found from my soil that I obtained next to a creek, against bacteria closely related to the ESKAPE pathogens. The ESKAPE pathogens are the six most dangerous bacteria, which are commonly found in healthcare settings, because that are able to resist many antibiotics. This is done by first isolating bacteria by serial dilution, then creating a master plate containing bacteria that are potential antibiotic-producing candidates. A potential candidate is a bacteria that creates a zone of inhibition or inhibits the growth of other bacteria. After that, I test my candidates against the bacteria closely related to the ESKAPE pathogens to see if they are able to inhibit the growth or create a zone of inhibition. If one of my candidates stands out, I will perform a simple stain as well as sequencing its DNA. My research project will either show evidence to a new possible antibiotic or be able to rule out a bacterium that is not able to become a new antibiotic.
Comments
The faculty supervisor on this project was Jon Kniss, Biology.