Mining for Microbes in the Appalachian Region
Faculty Mentor
Sean Fox
Mentor Home Department
Health Sciences
Short Abstract
Antibiotic resistance and the lack of novel biomedical solutions is cause for growing concern in public health. As the standard medicines used to treat bacterial infections lose their effectiveness, globally, the risk of contagion, severe illness, disability, and even death associated with these pathogens is drastically rising. Since antimicrobials are a microorganism’s defensive adaptation against competing species, it is possible that there are undiscovered antimicrobial producing strains utilized in the natural environment. These antimicrobials can include antibiotics, bacteriocins, or even contact dependent mechanisms such as secretion systems or native bacteriophages. Our lab is currently researching the microbiome of the Appalachian region by taking soil samples from local ecosystems and isolating native bacterial species. Several species identified by our lab have demonstrated antimicrobial potency against common antibiotic-resistant pathogens, including Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. In this study, these results were confirmed by observing contact-dependent microbial interactions. Active samples of the antimicrobial-producing soil bacteria were grown on nutrient plates along with the aforementioned competing bacterial species. Antimicrobial-producing species developed zones of inhibition, a circular area around the colony in which the pathogenic microbes could not grow. This zone of inhibition indicated that S. aureus and B. subtilis are susceptible to the soil microbe’s inhibitory effects. This inhibition was also observed when grown in planktonic co-cultures. The antimicrobial producing soil microbes were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. These results demonstrate the importance of both mapping the microbiome of the biodiverse Appalachian region, but also the benefit of mining this area, microbially, to identify new potential therapeutic options for common human infections.
Category
Science, Technology and Engineering
Start Date
5-4-2024 11:30 AM
End Date
5-4-2024 12:30 PM
Location
D.P. Culp Center Room 219
Mining for Microbes in the Appalachian Region
D.P. Culp Center Room 219
Antibiotic resistance and the lack of novel biomedical solutions is cause for growing concern in public health. As the standard medicines used to treat bacterial infections lose their effectiveness, globally, the risk of contagion, severe illness, disability, and even death associated with these pathogens is drastically rising. Since antimicrobials are a microorganism’s defensive adaptation against competing species, it is possible that there are undiscovered antimicrobial producing strains utilized in the natural environment. These antimicrobials can include antibiotics, bacteriocins, or even contact dependent mechanisms such as secretion systems or native bacteriophages. Our lab is currently researching the microbiome of the Appalachian region by taking soil samples from local ecosystems and isolating native bacterial species. Several species identified by our lab have demonstrated antimicrobial potency against common antibiotic-resistant pathogens, including Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. In this study, these results were confirmed by observing contact-dependent microbial interactions. Active samples of the antimicrobial-producing soil bacteria were grown on nutrient plates along with the aforementioned competing bacterial species. Antimicrobial-producing species developed zones of inhibition, a circular area around the colony in which the pathogenic microbes could not grow. This zone of inhibition indicated that S. aureus and B. subtilis are susceptible to the soil microbe’s inhibitory effects. This inhibition was also observed when grown in planktonic co-cultures. The antimicrobial producing soil microbes were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. These results demonstrate the importance of both mapping the microbiome of the biodiverse Appalachian region, but also the benefit of mining this area, microbially, to identify new potential therapeutic options for common human infections.