Isolation and Identification of Potential Antibiotic-Producing Soil Bacterium
Location
CoLab, COM 392
Start Date
30-4-2026 5:30 PM
Document Type
Poster
Description
Antibiotic resistance is an escalating crisis, which is why the discovery of antimicrobial compounds is necessary. The rise of multidrug-resistant organisms has created an urgent need for antibiotic discovery. Soil bacteria are good sources of antibiotic-producing candidates. I hypothesized that soil collected from Pleasant Hill, Missouri, would contain at least one bacterium capable of inhibiting the growth of ESKAPE pathogens. A soil sample was collected at a depth of one foot, at a temperature of 55F, from loamy dark soil. Serial dilutions were performed to isolate viable bacterial candidates, which resulted in nine isolates. Culture screening identified one candidate exhibiting broad inhibitory activity against five target organisms. The candidate was slightly yellow, circular, raised, and had an entire colony morphology. The candidate will also be subjected to ongoing testing, including Gram staining, PCR, gel electrophoresis, and biochemical testing to identify the organisms further. These findings are important because they suggest that the soil isolate can produce a compound with broad antimicrobial potential.
Isolation and Identification of Potential Antibiotic-Producing Soil Bacterium
CoLab, COM 392
Antibiotic resistance is an escalating crisis, which is why the discovery of antimicrobial compounds is necessary. The rise of multidrug-resistant organisms has created an urgent need for antibiotic discovery. Soil bacteria are good sources of antibiotic-producing candidates. I hypothesized that soil collected from Pleasant Hill, Missouri, would contain at least one bacterium capable of inhibiting the growth of ESKAPE pathogens. A soil sample was collected at a depth of one foot, at a temperature of 55F, from loamy dark soil. Serial dilutions were performed to isolate viable bacterial candidates, which resulted in nine isolates. Culture screening identified one candidate exhibiting broad inhibitory activity against five target organisms. The candidate was slightly yellow, circular, raised, and had an entire colony morphology. The candidate will also be subjected to ongoing testing, including Gram staining, PCR, gel electrophoresis, and biochemical testing to identify the organisms further. These findings are important because they suggest that the soil isolate can produce a compound with broad antimicrobial potential.
Comments
The faculty mentor for this project was Matt Ducote.