Screening Soil Bacteria for Antibiotic Activity
Location
CoLab, COM 395
Start Date
30-4-2026 5:30 PM
Document Type
Poster
Description
This experiment looks at whether bacteria found in soil can produce antibiotics that stop other bacteria from growing. After collecting and culturing soil samples, one bacterium was isolated and identified as a Gram-negative rod using Gram staining and microscopy. This isolate was then tested against several “safe relative” bacteria, including Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baylyi, Pseudomonas putida, and Enterobacter aerogenes, to see if it could inhibit their growth. By using standard inhibition tests, we looked for clear zones around the bacterium where other microbes could not grow. The presence of these zones would suggest that the soil bacterium is producing an antibiotic substance. Overall, this experiment shows how common soil bacteria may play an important role in discovering new antibiotics, although more testing is needed to figure out exactly what the bacterium is and what compounds it produces.
Image
Screening Soil Bacteria for Antibiotic Activity
CoLab, COM 395
This experiment looks at whether bacteria found in soil can produce antibiotics that stop other bacteria from growing. After collecting and culturing soil samples, one bacterium was isolated and identified as a Gram-negative rod using Gram staining and microscopy. This isolate was then tested against several “safe relative” bacteria, including Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baylyi, Pseudomonas putida, and Enterobacter aerogenes, to see if it could inhibit their growth. By using standard inhibition tests, we looked for clear zones around the bacterium where other microbes could not grow. The presence of these zones would suggest that the soil bacterium is producing an antibiotic substance. Overall, this experiment shows how common soil bacteria may play an important role in discovering new antibiotics, although more testing is needed to figure out exactly what the bacterium is and what compounds it produces.
Comments
The faculty mentor for this project was Matt Ducote.