Elsker : A new bacteriophage to combat antibiotic resistant Enterobacter
Submission Type
Poster
Area of Study or Work
Biology
Faculty Advisor
David Bollivar
Expected Graduation Date
2019
Location
Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Start Date
4-13-2019 9:00 AM
End Date
4-13-2019 10:00 AM
Disciplines
Education
Abstract
The World Health Organization has called bacterial antibiotic resistance one of the biggest threats to global health. The rise of antibiotic resistance and the laborious process of creating new antibiotics has led to a resurgence of interest in combating bacterial infections with bacteriophages. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect and kill specific strains of bacteria. Phages kill specific bacterial hosts, unlike broad spectrum antibiotics which kill not only the pathogenic bacteria but bacteria that make up the healthy microbiome. Phage therapy has recently been used to combat multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria, but wider application will require the identification of more novel bacteriophages. Bacteria in the Enterobacter genus are an example of clinically relevant bacteria displaying broad MDR. Few antibiotics are effective against highly resistant Enterobacter species, which cause infection of the bloodstream and urinary and respiratory tracts. The goal of this study was to isolate and characterize a bacteriophage that could infect and kill a non-pathogenic model Enterobacter. Pre-filtration water samples were collected from the Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District. The Enterobacter aerogenes specific-phage, known as Elsker, underwent enrichment and isolation. The next steps in this project will be to characterize Elsker by genome sequencing and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
Elsker : A new bacteriophage to combat antibiotic resistant Enterobacter
Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
The World Health Organization has called bacterial antibiotic resistance one of the biggest threats to global health. The rise of antibiotic resistance and the laborious process of creating new antibiotics has led to a resurgence of interest in combating bacterial infections with bacteriophages. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect and kill specific strains of bacteria. Phages kill specific bacterial hosts, unlike broad spectrum antibiotics which kill not only the pathogenic bacteria but bacteria that make up the healthy microbiome. Phage therapy has recently been used to combat multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria, but wider application will require the identification of more novel bacteriophages. Bacteria in the Enterobacter genus are an example of clinically relevant bacteria displaying broad MDR. Few antibiotics are effective against highly resistant Enterobacter species, which cause infection of the bloodstream and urinary and respiratory tracts. The goal of this study was to isolate and characterize a bacteriophage that could infect and kill a non-pathogenic model Enterobacter. Pre-filtration water samples were collected from the Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District. The Enterobacter aerogenes specific-phage, known as Elsker, underwent enrichment and isolation. The next steps in this project will be to characterize Elsker by genome sequencing and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).