Analysis of soil microbes from Asher, Oklahoma
Location
CoLab
Start Date
3-5-2019 1:30 PM
End Date
3-5-2019 2:45 PM
Document Type
Poster
Description
Antibiotics have greatly improved health and life expectancies of Americans since their discovery in the late 1920’s. While antibiotics are a great resource for fighting bacterial pathogens in the body, their overuse in the medical field is resulting in mutations which can make certain bacteria resistant to the antibiotics we have available. Because of the constant cycle of organic growth and decomposition of the Earth’s soil, it is rich in nutrients, minerals, and organic matter. These factors make it the perfect breeding ground for microbial growth. To test for potential microbial candidates for antibiotic development, I took a clay soil sample from the banks of a pond in Asher, Oklahoma. After a serial dilution test, potential microbial candidates were isolated in a series of tests to determine their potential. These candidates were tested against safe relatives to the ESKAPE pathogens, the antibiotic-resistant bacteria running rampant through health care facilities. My research isolated a microbial candidate, AER19E, that shows strong inhibition zones against the tester strain Staphylococcus epidermidis, a safe relative of Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococci are Gram-positive, aerobic bacterial organisms. I aim to explain the unique characteristics of candidate AER19E, including its morphology, shape, stain color and DNA sequence and how this relates to its potential for further testing.
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Analysis of soil microbes from Asher, Oklahoma
CoLab
Antibiotics have greatly improved health and life expectancies of Americans since their discovery in the late 1920’s. While antibiotics are a great resource for fighting bacterial pathogens in the body, their overuse in the medical field is resulting in mutations which can make certain bacteria resistant to the antibiotics we have available. Because of the constant cycle of organic growth and decomposition of the Earth’s soil, it is rich in nutrients, minerals, and organic matter. These factors make it the perfect breeding ground for microbial growth. To test for potential microbial candidates for antibiotic development, I took a clay soil sample from the banks of a pond in Asher, Oklahoma. After a serial dilution test, potential microbial candidates were isolated in a series of tests to determine their potential. These candidates were tested against safe relatives to the ESKAPE pathogens, the antibiotic-resistant bacteria running rampant through health care facilities. My research isolated a microbial candidate, AER19E, that shows strong inhibition zones against the tester strain Staphylococcus epidermidis, a safe relative of Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococci are Gram-positive, aerobic bacterial organisms. I aim to explain the unique characteristics of candidate AER19E, including its morphology, shape, stain color and DNA sequence and how this relates to its potential for further testing.
Comments
The faculty supervisor for this project was Jamie Cunningham, Biology.