Location
CoLab, OCB 100
Start Date
25-4-2024 10:30 AM
Document Type
Poster
Description
Antibiotic resistance is increasingly problematic worldwide. Bacteria are becoming capable of withstanding a wider range of antibiotics than ever before. The earth’s soil, a readily available resource, hosts billions of microorganisms. Among these microorganisms are bacteria, many of which have yet to be discovered. A small percentage of bacterial colonies from most soil types can be cultured in a lab to observe their ability to inhibit the growth of other bacteria. Colonies that boast strong zones of inhibition are potential antibiotic candidates. A bacterial colony, named “Mike,” was collected from a silty soil sample in Blue Spring, Missouri. Utilizing a serial dilution technique, soil sample “Mike” was cultivated and showed a promising zone of inhibition against other bacteria on the same agar plate. When tested against safe relatives of pathogenic species Bacillus subtilis and Mycobacterium smegmatis, “Mike” exhibited a measurable zone of inhibition. The results of this screening show that bacteria “Mike” is of interest and warrants further testing for the purpose of antibiotic production.
Image
Antibiotic Research
CoLab, OCB 100
Antibiotic resistance is increasingly problematic worldwide. Bacteria are becoming capable of withstanding a wider range of antibiotics than ever before. The earth’s soil, a readily available resource, hosts billions of microorganisms. Among these microorganisms are bacteria, many of which have yet to be discovered. A small percentage of bacterial colonies from most soil types can be cultured in a lab to observe their ability to inhibit the growth of other bacteria. Colonies that boast strong zones of inhibition are potential antibiotic candidates. A bacterial colony, named “Mike,” was collected from a silty soil sample in Blue Spring, Missouri. Utilizing a serial dilution technique, soil sample “Mike” was cultivated and showed a promising zone of inhibition against other bacteria on the same agar plate. When tested against safe relatives of pathogenic species Bacillus subtilis and Mycobacterium smegmatis, “Mike” exhibited a measurable zone of inhibition. The results of this screening show that bacteria “Mike” is of interest and warrants further testing for the purpose of antibiotic production.
Comments
The faculty mentor for this project was Beverly Tanui, Biology.