Abstract
The Small World Initiative is combating the decrease in antibiotic effectiveness. The majority of antibiotics in current use originate from soil dwelling bacteria. The soil samples were obtained from The Everglades, West Palm Beach, and Davie. After these soil samples were collected, they were serially diluted and plated to isolate bacteria. Isolated bacteria from the diluted plates were tested against tester strains to determine if a zone of inhibition was present. Isolates that presented of zone of inhibition were further characterized via Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) Analysis to identify the genus of the bacteria. We have also identified bacteria producing active compounds with activity against the tester strains. The microorganisms from the Davie area showed to have antibiotic production against the safe relatives: S. epidermidis, E. aerogenes, and E. coli. The samples from the Everglades showed antibiotic production against: S. epidermidis, B. subtilis, E. aerogenes, and P. putida. The active compounds have been extracted from the organisms. The extracted organic compounds were subjected to Ultraviolet/Visible spectroscopy. Results indicated that compounds isolated from Davie samples absorbed UV rays at varied wavelengths. This activity in the UV spectrum wavelengths is distinct from the agar control. This indicates there may be active organic compounds isolated from the organisms. Chemical analyses of the extracted active compound are being performed to determine the chemical composition of the compound.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Aarti Raja, Dr. Michelle Larrea
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-8-2016 1:00 PM
End Date
4-8-2016 5:30 PM
Isolation of Antibiotic Producing Microorganisms from Various Soil: The Everglades, Davie, and West Palm Beach
Alvin Sherman Library
The Small World Initiative is combating the decrease in antibiotic effectiveness. The majority of antibiotics in current use originate from soil dwelling bacteria. The soil samples were obtained from The Everglades, West Palm Beach, and Davie. After these soil samples were collected, they were serially diluted and plated to isolate bacteria. Isolated bacteria from the diluted plates were tested against tester strains to determine if a zone of inhibition was present. Isolates that presented of zone of inhibition were further characterized via Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) Analysis to identify the genus of the bacteria. We have also identified bacteria producing active compounds with activity against the tester strains. The microorganisms from the Davie area showed to have antibiotic production against the safe relatives: S. epidermidis, E. aerogenes, and E. coli. The samples from the Everglades showed antibiotic production against: S. epidermidis, B. subtilis, E. aerogenes, and P. putida. The active compounds have been extracted from the organisms. The extracted organic compounds were subjected to Ultraviolet/Visible spectroscopy. Results indicated that compounds isolated from Davie samples absorbed UV rays at varied wavelengths. This activity in the UV spectrum wavelengths is distinct from the agar control. This indicates there may be active organic compounds isolated from the organisms. Chemical analyses of the extracted active compound are being performed to determine the chemical composition of the compound.
