Searching for Antibiotics in Lenexa Soil
Location
CoLab, OCB 100
Start Date
27-4-2018 10:30 AM
Document Type
Poster
Description
When Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, he paved the way for antibiotics in modern medicine. Antibiotics, derived from bacteria that naturally inhibit the growth of other bacteria, are used to treat bacterial infections and in turn have saved hundreds of millions of lives in the last century. Unfortunately, pathogens are constantly adapting and mutating-- and many are developing a resistance to the effects of current antibiotics. Therefore, the demand to find new antibiotics is higher than ever. The composition of soil is so bacteria-rich that just a single teaspoon can contain up to one billion bacteria-- making it a great place to begin the quest. In this case, the soil screened came from 38°58’55.985” N and 94°45’16.044” W. This precise location was chosen due to a recent construction site that had unearthed fresh soil. The hope for this experiment was to discover a new bacteria that inhibits the growth of any of the ESKAPE pathogens. This paper will discuss the research and analysis surrounding the candidate (not yet known).
Image
Searching for Antibiotics in Lenexa Soil
CoLab, OCB 100
When Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, he paved the way for antibiotics in modern medicine. Antibiotics, derived from bacteria that naturally inhibit the growth of other bacteria, are used to treat bacterial infections and in turn have saved hundreds of millions of lives in the last century. Unfortunately, pathogens are constantly adapting and mutating-- and many are developing a resistance to the effects of current antibiotics. Therefore, the demand to find new antibiotics is higher than ever. The composition of soil is so bacteria-rich that just a single teaspoon can contain up to one billion bacteria-- making it a great place to begin the quest. In this case, the soil screened came from 38°58’55.985” N and 94°45’16.044” W. This precise location was chosen due to a recent construction site that had unearthed fresh soil. The hope for this experiment was to discover a new bacteria that inhibits the growth of any of the ESKAPE pathogens. This paper will discuss the research and analysis surrounding the candidate (not yet known).
Comments
The faculty supervisor for this project was Heather Seitz, Biology.