Klebsiella's Secret Weapon: A Plasmid With a Punch
Abstract
The discovery of antibiotics transformed medicine by providing therapeutics that could kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria. However, the overprescription and misuse of antibiotics have allowed bacteria to quickly evolve and become resistant to their effects. Antimicrobial resistance is rapidly becoming a leading threat to global health, making the urgent development of novel strategies to combat these deadly, multidrug-resistant pathogens absolutely vital. Our laboratory previously found that the supernatant of a particular strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae produces a potential plasmid-mediated bacteriocin that effectively inhibits the growth of certain bacterial genera. This includes members of the highly drug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, such as Enterobacter, Citrobacter, and other Klebsiella species. My current research has utilized a transposon insertion library screen to identify loss-of-function mutants, followed by plasmid sequencing to pinpoint the essential genetic drivers of this inhibitory activity. Future research will test the bacteriocin's therapeutic efficacy using the nematode C. elegans as an infection model. Our lab plans to infect the C. elegans with the target pathogen and subsequently attempt to treat the nematode using the bacteriocin. Further studies will explore the bacteriocin’s potential ability to enhance host defense by triggering neutrophil swarming. This work aims to validate the plasmid-mediated bacteriocin as a viable, novel strategy for developing future therapeutic treatments against multidrug-resistant pathogens.
Start Time
15-4-2026 11:00 AM
End Time
15-4-2026 12:00 PM
Room Number
311
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Presentation Subtype
Grad/Comp Orals
Presentation Category
Science, Technology, and Engineering
Student Type
Graduate
Faculty Mentor
Sean Fox
Klebsiella's Secret Weapon: A Plasmid With a Punch
311
The discovery of antibiotics transformed medicine by providing therapeutics that could kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria. However, the overprescription and misuse of antibiotics have allowed bacteria to quickly evolve and become resistant to their effects. Antimicrobial resistance is rapidly becoming a leading threat to global health, making the urgent development of novel strategies to combat these deadly, multidrug-resistant pathogens absolutely vital. Our laboratory previously found that the supernatant of a particular strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae produces a potential plasmid-mediated bacteriocin that effectively inhibits the growth of certain bacterial genera. This includes members of the highly drug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, such as Enterobacter, Citrobacter, and other Klebsiella species. My current research has utilized a transposon insertion library screen to identify loss-of-function mutants, followed by plasmid sequencing to pinpoint the essential genetic drivers of this inhibitory activity. Future research will test the bacteriocin's therapeutic efficacy using the nematode C. elegans as an infection model. Our lab plans to infect the C. elegans with the target pathogen and subsequently attempt to treat the nematode using the bacteriocin. Further studies will explore the bacteriocin’s potential ability to enhance host defense by triggering neutrophil swarming. This work aims to validate the plasmid-mediated bacteriocin as a viable, novel strategy for developing future therapeutic treatments against multidrug-resistant pathogens.
