Location
CoLab, COM 100
Start Date
1-5-2025 6:45 PM
Document Type
Poster
Description
Soil is a rich source of microbial diversity and serves as a competitive environment where bacteria produce antibiotics. With the rise of antibiotic resistance threatening effective infection treatment, discovering new antibiotics is increasingly critical. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics have accelerated this crisis, making the search for new antimicrobial compounds essential. This study aimed to identify potential antibiotic-producing microorganisms from soil samples. A serial dilution technique was used to estimate microbial concentration per gram of soil, ensuring an accurate representation of cultivable bacteria. To assess antibiotic production, soil isolates were screened against six non-pathogenic bacterial strains: Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas putida, Acinetobacter baylyi, and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Zones of inhibition discovered around these soil-derived bacterial colonies indicated antimicrobial activity. These findings highlight soil as a valuable source of microorganisms with potential antibiotic properties. This study indicates the importance of continuing to search for new antibiotics, emphasizing the role of environmental microbiology in addressing antibiotic resistance.
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Antibiotic Soil Experiment!
CoLab, COM 100
Soil is a rich source of microbial diversity and serves as a competitive environment where bacteria produce antibiotics. With the rise of antibiotic resistance threatening effective infection treatment, discovering new antibiotics is increasingly critical. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics have accelerated this crisis, making the search for new antimicrobial compounds essential. This study aimed to identify potential antibiotic-producing microorganisms from soil samples. A serial dilution technique was used to estimate microbial concentration per gram of soil, ensuring an accurate representation of cultivable bacteria. To assess antibiotic production, soil isolates were screened against six non-pathogenic bacterial strains: Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas putida, Acinetobacter baylyi, and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Zones of inhibition discovered around these soil-derived bacterial colonies indicated antimicrobial activity. These findings highlight soil as a valuable source of microorganisms with potential antibiotic properties. This study indicates the importance of continuing to search for new antibiotics, emphasizing the role of environmental microbiology in addressing antibiotic resistance.
Comments
The faculty mentor for this project was Rachael Ott, Biology.