Start Date
27-4-2023 10:30 AM
Document Type
Poster
Description
Antibiotics come from bacteria that naturally inhibit the growth of other bacteria. The need for making new antibiotics is higher than ever because pathogens are constantly adapting to their environment. These adaptations and mutations allow pathogens to resist current antibiotics and cause more disease. With many new and different pathogens arising, researchers need to find, isolate, and produce new antibiotic treatments. An easy and fast way to find new bacteria is through soil composition. Soil is very bacteria-rich, and a spoonful can contain billions of bacteria. The soil screened for this research project was dug up on January 30th, 2023, at 38.98 degrees N and -94.755 degrees E. This location was right in front of a flower bed, and the soil had a loamy clay texture with a pH of 7. My soil sample was serially diluted to pick out potential candidates. I found 12 potential candidates and screened them against the six ESKAPE pathogens. Potential candidate six, “Black Panther,” showed the strongest inhibition of Enterococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli.
Image
Tiny Earth Project
Antibiotics come from bacteria that naturally inhibit the growth of other bacteria. The need for making new antibiotics is higher than ever because pathogens are constantly adapting to their environment. These adaptations and mutations allow pathogens to resist current antibiotics and cause more disease. With many new and different pathogens arising, researchers need to find, isolate, and produce new antibiotic treatments. An easy and fast way to find new bacteria is through soil composition. Soil is very bacteria-rich, and a spoonful can contain billions of bacteria. The soil screened for this research project was dug up on January 30th, 2023, at 38.98 degrees N and -94.755 degrees E. This location was right in front of a flower bed, and the soil had a loamy clay texture with a pH of 7. My soil sample was serially diluted to pick out potential candidates. I found 12 potential candidates and screened them against the six ESKAPE pathogens. Potential candidate six, “Black Panther,” showed the strongest inhibition of Enterococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli.
Comments
The faculty mentor for this project was Heather Seitz, Biology.