Isolating Novel Soil Bacteria as a Source of New Antibiotics Against Resistant Infections
Location
CoLab, COM 321
Start Date
30-4-2026 2:30 PM
Document Type
Poster
Description
Antibiotic resistance is a growing global health crisis, making many bacterial infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of severe illness. This project aims to discover new bacteria from soil that could produce novel antibiotics to combat resistant pathogens. Soil samples were diluted and cultured to isolate different bacteria, which were then tested against safe relatives of a group of common, drug-resistant bacteria known as ESKAPE pathogens—responsible for many hospital-acquired infections. One promising bacterial candidate was found to inhibit the growth of Mycobacterium smegmatis, a non-harmful relative of the tuberculosis-causing bacterium. This suggests the candidate may produce compounds effective against similar bacteria, highlighting its potential as a source for new antibiotics. These findings contribute to the search for alternative treatments in the fight against antibiotic resistance, offering hope for developing new drugs that can protect public health.
Image
Isolating Novel Soil Bacteria as a Source of New Antibiotics Against Resistant Infections
CoLab, COM 321
Antibiotic resistance is a growing global health crisis, making many bacterial infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of severe illness. This project aims to discover new bacteria from soil that could produce novel antibiotics to combat resistant pathogens. Soil samples were diluted and cultured to isolate different bacteria, which were then tested against safe relatives of a group of common, drug-resistant bacteria known as ESKAPE pathogens—responsible for many hospital-acquired infections. One promising bacterial candidate was found to inhibit the growth of Mycobacterium smegmatis, a non-harmful relative of the tuberculosis-causing bacterium. This suggests the candidate may produce compounds effective against similar bacteria, highlighting its potential as a source for new antibiotics. These findings contribute to the search for alternative treatments in the fight against antibiotic resistance, offering hope for developing new drugs that can protect public health.
Comments
The faculty mentor for this project was Jamie Cunningham.