Title of Presentation or Performance
Backyard Heroes: Soil Bacteria Fighting Antibiotic Resistance
Submission Type
Poster
Area of Study or Work
Biology
Faculty Advisor
Loralyn Cozy
Expected Graduation Date
2021
Location
Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Start Date
4-13-2019 2:00 PM
End Date
3-13-2019 3:00 PM
Disciplines
Education
Abstract
In the 1950’s, an overwhelming number of new antibiotics flooded the market to treat bacterial infections. Since then, many bacterial strains have mutated to become resistant to available drugs, such as the ESKAPE pathogens, six bacterial strains commonly found in hospitals. Thus, there is an urgent need for new antibiotics and treatment options. But, how are antibiotics discovered? Antibiotics are antimicrobial compounds (AMC) made by bacteria to compete with other organisms in their environment. The soil contains a rich source of bacteria that produce AMC’s that have yet to be characterized. In this work, a collection of soil bacteria was tested against each ESKAPE pathogen. Soil isolates that were able to inhibit the growth of ESKAPE-pathogens suggested the production of AMC’s. The soil isolates were characterized through various physiological and qualitative studies, such as gram stain and motility tests, then sequenced for identity. A rod-shaped Pseudomonas strain was able to kill B. subtilis, a gram positive bacteria similar to S. aureus, and the effective compound was extracted in ethyl acetate. Then, the resistance profile of the Pseudomonas was assessed. Overall, this research helps diversify the amount of known AMC’s that can be used to battle resistant bacteria, like ESKAPE pathogens.
Backyard Heroes: Soil Bacteria Fighting Antibiotic Resistance
Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
In the 1950’s, an overwhelming number of new antibiotics flooded the market to treat bacterial infections. Since then, many bacterial strains have mutated to become resistant to available drugs, such as the ESKAPE pathogens, six bacterial strains commonly found in hospitals. Thus, there is an urgent need for new antibiotics and treatment options. But, how are antibiotics discovered? Antibiotics are antimicrobial compounds (AMC) made by bacteria to compete with other organisms in their environment. The soil contains a rich source of bacteria that produce AMC’s that have yet to be characterized. In this work, a collection of soil bacteria was tested against each ESKAPE pathogen. Soil isolates that were able to inhibit the growth of ESKAPE-pathogens suggested the production of AMC’s. The soil isolates were characterized through various physiological and qualitative studies, such as gram stain and motility tests, then sequenced for identity. A rod-shaped Pseudomonas strain was able to kill B. subtilis, a gram positive bacteria similar to S. aureus, and the effective compound was extracted in ethyl acetate. Then, the resistance profile of the Pseudomonas was assessed. Overall, this research helps diversify the amount of known AMC’s that can be used to battle resistant bacteria, like ESKAPE pathogens.