Bacteriology Commons^™

Investigation Of Biofilm Formation And Osmotic Stress Tolerance Of Nonmotile Escherichia Coli In Simulated Microgravity, Tyler Jenkins

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Simulated microgravity presents multiple physiological stressors for astronauts, including bone demineralization, muscle loss, and weakening of the immune system. Bacteria serve as viable model organisms to study physiological changes because of their abundance in the human digestive system and skin. Motility in bacteria plays a significant role in cell survival, but few studies have been conducted on microgravity’s effect on motility phenotypes. While motile strains like Escherichia coli K12 have been studied extensively under microgravity conditions, the effects of simulated microgravity on non-motile strains are largely unknown. To better understand this relationship, the nonmotile E. coli MG1655 strain was inoculated …

Effects Of Microgravity And Gamma Radiation On Biofilm Growth, Anya Pavlidis, Kaitlyn Mills Mills, Eva Mcclory, Grant Erlinder, Allen Qiu

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Biofilms are collections of bacteria that commonly grow on a variety of surfaces. They are resistant to environmental impacts as bacteria fortify themselves to a surface. Biofilms are commonly found on Earth, but more problematically are also found on spacecraft. On the ISS biofilms have developed in spaces like the workout area, food spaces, and most concerning in the Water Recovery System (WRS). Biofilms tend to react differently to attempted cleaning methods in space than they do on Earth and can be located in extremely difficult to reach places.   This study aims to explore the effects of gamma radiation on …

Submarine Groundwater Discharge As A Potential Driver Of Bacterial Microbiome Shifts In Nearshore Coral Reef Ecosystems At Black Point, Maunalua Bay, Oahu, Francesca Rasi, Niyam Reddy, Emily Mendoza, Jayla Burson, Florybeth La Valle

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Coral reefs thrive in primarily oligotrophic environments, depending on factors such as temperature and salinity for their stability. While moderate levels of nutrients sustain coral growth, excessive nutrient inputs promote algal blooms which can outcompete corals for space. Over the past century, Maunalua Bay (O'ahu, HI) has experienced dramatic development and increase in population, which has affected the water quality in the nearshore coral reefs of the bay. The main source of dissolved land-based inorganic nutrients in Black Point is submarine groundwater discharge (SGD), which is a chronic freshwater vector that is enriched with nitrates, phosphates, silicates, and more. Because …

Norfolk Flooding And Its Effect On Nutrient And Enterococcus Levels, Malachi R. Stephens

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Tidal flooding is common in the City of Norfolk, VA due to high rates of sea rise in the region, as well as the region’s subsidence. This has led to increases in flooding at high tide, especially during the spring tide portion of the tidal cycle.  At high tide water from the Elizabeth and Lafayette Rivers can flood the landscape directly or can rise out of storm drains. This floodwater often stays on land for long periods of time and can deliver contaminants back into the rivers. To determine the amounts of nutrients and Enterococcus, a fecal indicator, delivered to …

Fostering Entrepreneurial Thinking And Practice Through Teaching And Learning Integration, Mohammad G. Sabbir

Learning and Educational Center Virtual Teaching and Learning Conference

This session explores an innovative, evidence-based approach to integrating entrepreneurial thinking into undergraduate neuroscience education through hands-on gene editing experiences. Using the commercially available Bio-Rad CRISPR/Cas9-based “Out of the Blue” kit for bacterial LacZ gene editing, students are guided not only through the scientific principles underlying modern gene editing technologies but also through the entrepreneurial challenge of replicating and manufacturing the kit using existing lab resources. This model empowers students to extend their learning beyond the classroom by engaging in cost-effective, scalable biotechnology practices—particularly valuable for institutions with limited funding. Classroom-based research demonstrates increased student engagement, deeper conceptual understanding, and …

Exploring The Role Of Lysine Acetylation During Biofilm Formation In Bacillus Subtilis, Jennifer Nguyen, Briana Ericka Reid, Valerie Carabetta

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Biofilms are structured communities of bacterial cells encased in a self-produced extracellular matrix, composed of polysaccharides, extracellular DNA, and proteins. Bacteria in a biofilm pose significant challenges in healthcare due to their resistance to disinfectants and tolerance to antibiotics. In some species, histone-like proteins were found to be important structural components of the biofilm. Nε-Lysine acetylation is a widespread post-translational modification (PTM) in bacteria, which can alter a protein’s function. The histone-like protein HBsu in Bacillus subtilis is acetylated at seven sites in vivo. We hypothesized that the acetylation state of HBsu may alter biofilm structure or the genetic programming, …

Pseudomonas Parafulva Confirmed To Have Antifungal Properties When Grown In Conjunction With Botrytis Cinerea, Caden Dupee, Kylee Eldredge, Zachary Elmer, Joshua Hartvigsen

Student Research Symposium

Widespread antibiotic use has led to antibiotic resistance of infectious bacteria. (Young, 2017) As part of the TinyEarth Program, the lab group collected and tested local soil samples for bacteria with hopes of finding novel antibiotic properties. From the soil samples, a bacteria was isolated, subsequently sequenced, and determined to be Pseudomonas parafulva. P. parafulva is a Gram-negative bacterium that has been known to frequent rice paddies of eastern Asian countries and has been collected in select regions of North America, including that of Cache Valley. P. parafulva has been linked to anti-fungal activities on plants. (Lui et …

Gastric Survivability Of Streptomyces Narbonensis, Laramie Johnson, Laurel Hilterbrand, Ephraim Mohr, Eliza Lewis

Student Research Symposium

Human sciences and medicine have continually been advancing, and taken off in the last few centuries. This has included the development of many new medicines, antibiotics, and disinfectants. Antibiotics have to be able to survive and perform its duty within the human body, despite the changes in pH that occur naturally within the body in response to stimuli (Cotter, 2003). If a bacteria is unable to adapt to the pH environment of the human body in which it is placed, it will not be able to survive and continue to reproduce. The bacteria may be able to adapt via membrane …

Peribacillus Simplex Does Not Exhibit Antimicrobial Properties Against Staphylococcus, Dallin Thomas, Jordan Wheeler, Natalie Yoho

Student Research Symposium

Antibiotics are powerful drugs that combat previously fatal diseases. These miracle drugs have saved countless lives, but have the tendency to be misused. They are used incorrectly to treat patients who don't need them, and given to animals for non therapeutic use. Antibiotics are also known to pollute soils and groundwater all around the world (3). As antibiotics are found more readily in the environment, they encourage evolution, recombination, and dissemination of antibiotic resistant bacteria (5). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (6) antibiotic resistance kills at least 1.27 million people worldwide for diseases that used to …

Improved Protein Splicing Through Viral Passaging, John Smetana

Scholars Week

Intervening proteins (inteins) are translated as subdomains within host proteins and removed through an intein-driven splicing reaction where the flanking sequences (exteins) are joined with a peptide bond. Previously, we developed a self-removing translation reporter for labeling Ebola virus (EBOV). In this reporter, an intein (RadA) containing the fluorescent protein ZsGreen (ZsG) is inserted within the EBOV protein VP30. Upon VP30-RadA-ZsG expression from the viral genome, RadA-ZsG is removed from VP30 through the protein splicing activity of RadA, generating functional, non-tagged VP30 and functional ZsGreen. While incorporation of our VP30-RadA-ZsG fusion reporter into recombinant EBOV (rEBOV- RadA-ZsG) resulted in an …

Transcription Factor Binding And Discovery Of Novel Gene In The Opportunistic Human Pathogen, Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Alaina Westee

Symposium of Student Scholars

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is a gram-negative, ubiquitously-found bacterium that primarily causes nosocomial, or hospital-borne, infections within immunocompromised patients. Therefore, it has been deemed a critical priority pathogen by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), generating a need for research on its fundamental biology. The Van Dyke laboratory focuses on proteins called transcription factors, which promote or repress gene expression to regulate an organism’s functioning. We are specifically studying the cadmium-responsive transcription factor, CadR, due to the importance of metals in virulence and the lack of information on PA’s response to metal fluctuations. We intend …

Thermophilic Microbiota Of Fifth Water Hot Springs: A Genomic Perspective, Ethan Powers, Zack Galbraith, Trever Thurgood

Annual Research Symposium

Geothermal hot springs provide unique microbial habitats characterized by extreme temperatures, variable pH, and diverse geochemical conditions. This study investigates the microbial diversity of three hot spring locations in Diamond Fork Canyon, Utah—Diamond Fork Warm Springs, Fifth Water Hot Springs, and Monk’s Hollow Trailhead—using Oxford Nanopore MinION sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Samples were collected in triplicate and analyzed to identify the bacterial composition, with a focus on potential opportunistic pathogens. Our results revealed a diverse microbial community, including members of Pseudomonas, Comamonas, Helicobacter, and Flavobacterium, some of which are known for biofilm formation, antibiotic …

Microbial Colonization Of New Lava Tubes Formed By The Fagradalsfjall Volcano’S Eruption (Iceland), Ettore Lopo, Francesco Sauro, Ana Zelia Miller, Bogdan Petroniu Onac, Martina Cappelletti

FRONTIERS UNBOUND: Exploring Extreme Environments

No abstract provided.

Interplay Of Periodontal Bacterial Metabolites In The Progression Of Coronary Artery Disease: A System Biological Approach, Janakiraman V

Annual Research Symposium

Purpose:

The purpose of this study is to investigate the intricate relationship between periodontal disease (PD) and coronary artery disease (CAD), as evidenced by epidemiological associations. Metalloproteinase inhibitor (TIMP1) plays a pivotal role in cellular signaling, differentiation, cell death, and migration by binding to target metalloproteinases, forming complexes with other molecules (collagenases) to inactivate them. However, the expression of TIMP1 is reduced in both PD and CAD, leading to an upregulation of other metalloproteinases. This research explores the hypothesis that metabolites released from (Porphyromonas gingivalis), a prevalent bacterium in atherosclerotic patients, may inhibit TIMP1, thereby influencing CAD progression. …

Bactericidal Effects Of Chlorine And Bacteriophages On Mycobacteria In Conventionally Treated Water., Max Kevane-Campbell

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Introduction

Mycobacteria are members of the order Actinomycetales and the only genus in the family Mycobacteriaceae. The distinguishing characteristics that are found in mycobacteria include acid-fastness and the presence of mycolic acids. Mycobacteria can be commonly classified as non-spore-forming, aerobic, slender rod-shaped, and are slow-growers. Natural reservoirs that mycobacteria can be found in are aquatic and terrestrial environments. Recent studies have shown that mycobacteria that can cause skin lesions, immune and/or pulmonary dysfunctions and chronic diseases, i.e., Mycobacterium avium subsp. Paratuberculosis, M. kansasii, and M. xenopi, can be isolated from common household tap water. Tap water can originate from …

Mycobacteriophage: A Demonstration Of The Reduction Of M. Smegmatis In Various Matrices., Laura O'Connell

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

Background

Mycobacterial disease is a major cause of fatality worldwide, with approximately 1.5 million deaths for every 10 million infections. These infections are difficult to treat due to the intrinsic resistance of its mycolic acid rich cell wall to many antibiotics. There is potential for mycobacteriophage (MP) to be used therapeutically for multidrug- and extensively-drug resistant infections. Mycobacterium smegmatis mc² 155 is a useful substitute for slow-growing pathogenic mycobacteria, as it propagates quickly under lab conditions. This feature of M. smegmatis increases the pace of analysis, by ensuring the quick isolation and characterisation of MP and acting as a …

Overexpressing Two Helicobacter Pylori Small Rnas From A Bacterial Pathogenicity-Related Chromosomal Region To Investigate Their Regulation Of Virulence Genes, Roxanne N. Mcpeck, Olivia F. Morgan, Andrea R. Castillo Phd

2023 Symposium

The bacterial pathogen Helicobacter pylori infects the stomachs of approximately 50% of humanity, causing symptomatic disease (e.g., stomach ulcers, gastric cancer, and MALT lymphoma) in 10-15% of the infected. Colonizing the acidic, inhospitable stomach requires H. pylori to tightly regulate gene expression despite lacking many common bacterial genetic regulatory elements. The pathogen may compensate by using abundant non-protein-coding small RNAs (sRNAs) to regulate gene expression, including of infection-intensifying virulence genes. Additionally, severe disease and cancer correlate with infection by H. pylori strains that contain a nonessential chromosomal region, the cytotoxin-associated gene pathogenicity island (cagPAI). This encodes powerful virulence …

Helices In Fluids And Their Applications, Eva M. Strawbridge

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Fish Farming Wastewater Treatment Using Algae-Cyanobacterial Inocula, Yolanys Aranda

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

Fish is one of the most important nutrient sources of the human diet, and its low-cost aquaculture production is advantageous. During processing, large quantities of organic and inorganic nutrients are produced. Discharging fish farming wastewater to the environment without proper treatment can support harmful algal growth. Therefore, aquaculture effluent must be treated prior to discharge to the receiving waters. In this study, six different cyanobacteria and algae species, including Chlorococcumminutum, Porphyridiumcruentum, Chlorella vulgaris, Microcystis aeruginosa, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and Fischerellamuscicola were studiedto treatfish aquaculture wastewater, using mix-culture bacteria as the inoccolum. All samples were incubated for 21 days. Parameters such as …

The Immunomodulating Effects Of Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol (Thc) And Cannabidiol (Cbd) In The Context Of Infection, Rose D. Goodman, Kate Rouse, Victor Jimenez

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Sub-Inhibitory Concentrations Of Nitrofurantoin, Ciprofloxacin And Trimethoprim On In-Vitro Biofilm Formation In Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli, Shane Whelan

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

The purpose of the current study was to determine the effect of sublethal concentrations of nitrofurantoin, ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim on biofilm formation in 57 uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains (UPEC).

The MIC of nitrofurantoin, ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim was determined for 57 UPEC isolates. Biofilm formation for each isolate with and without sub-lethal concentrations of each antibiotic was then quantified, and the statistical significance of changes in biofilm formation was ascertained by way of a Dunnett's test.

The effects of sub-MIC antibiotics on biofilm formation of UPEC were variable. A total of 22.8% of strains were induced to form biofilm by nitrofurantoin, …

Investigation Of The Urobiome For The Production Of Novel Antimicrobials Against Uropathogenic E. Coli (Upec), Jennifer Jones

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

BACKGROUND: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common bacterial infections globally with antibiotic treatment becoming increasingly less effective. The urobiome remains a relatively understudied niche as a source of potentially novel antimicrobials (e.g., bacteriocins). Improvements to bacterial culturing and sequencing techniques have highlighted the potentially rich source of alternative treatments and control strategies to target uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: (a) BAGEL 4 was used for bioinformatic screening of the genomes of urobiome isolates to identify bacteriocin gene clusters (BGC).

(b) Expanded quantitative urine culture (EQUC) was used to culture mid-stream urine samples to isolate …

Parameter Estimation Using Nudging On The Logistic Growth Equation, Susan Rogowski

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Computational Analysis Of Myxococcus Xanthus Gliding Motility With Varying Cellular Growth Rate, Laura Batista, Akeisha Belgrave

Harrisburg University Research Symposium: Highlighting Research, Innovation, & Creativity

This project focuses on determining the effects of varying growth rates on bacteria motility. Cell growth has been shown to affect peptidoglycan biosynthesis, interacting indirectly with the motility complex that spans across the bacteria. This complex adheres to the external surface via focal adhesion complexes that exert a mechanical force to push the cell forward. Affecting bacteria growth rate, affects peptidoglycan biosynthesis, & should therefore affect M. xanthus motility. (Independent Research)

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Evades Predation By Myxococcus Xanthus, Sarah Joie Beauvais

Symposium of Student Scholars

Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes an estimated 32,600 hospital-acquired-infections and 2,700 estimated deaths in the US in 2017(CDC). Myxococcus xanthus is a strain of myxobacteria that preys on Pseudomonas sp, through the production of antibiotics and digestive enzymes. In previous experiments, P. aeruginosa evaded predation, through an unknown mechanism. Using confocal microscopy, this research investigates if quorum sensing, a cell density-dependent signaling pathway, could be a factor in motility and evasion of M. xanthus. Liquid suspensions of log-phase PA01 were dyed with two fluorescent dyes: SYTO 9 for marking live cells and Propidium iodide (PI) for marking dead cells. …

Microbial Diversity And Community Structure In Sediments Associated With The Seagrass (Thallassia Testudinum) In Apalachicola Bay, Florida, Rahma Ahmed, Thomas Mcelroy, Troy Mutchler

Symposium of Student Scholars

Seagrass is an angiosperm which provides many ecosystem services in coastal areas, such as providing food, shelter and nurseries for many species, and decreasing the impact of waves on shorelines. A global assessment reported that 29% of known seagrass meadows are in a state of decline due to the effects of human activity. Seagrass is commonly found in shallow marine waters where they form meadows containing a microbiome that plays an important role in providing nutrients for seagrass growth, though little is known about the microorganisms within the seagrass meadow sediments. Our project collected sediments from seagrass meadows and adjacent …

Investigating Alternative Induction Of The S. Aureus 80a Prophage, Jody Caretti

Student Scholar Showcase

Widespread antibiotic resistance has quickly become one of the most concerning crises affecting modern medicine, especially in cases of Staphylococcal infections, which have become resistant to all ��-lactam antibiotics. As a result, research into alternative forms of treatment for bacterial infections is a top priority. Bacteriophage therapy is a popular candidate for replacing antibiotics, due to the way the viruses interact with the bacteria. The 80�� prophage integrates its DNA into Staphylococcus aureus strain 10616 via the lysogenic cycle, and replicates with the bacterial cell. When stressed, the bacteria stop replicating and the prophage stimulates the lytic cycle, activating transcription …

The Role Of Cd5 In The Periodontal Disease: Insights Into Chronic Inflammation, Ellie Bybee

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Biocontrol Of Foodborne Pathogens Using Bacteriophages, Dzhuliya Ignatova, Erion Hogan, Simone Dakare, Jean Lu

Symposium of Student Scholars

Biocontrol of Foodborne Pathogens Using Bacteriophages

Dzhuliya Ignatova, Erion Hogan, Simone Dakare, and Jean Lu

Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology

Abstract

Salmonella and Shigella are two important groups of foodborne bacterial pathogens. Salmonella cause an illness called salmonellosis while Shigella cause shigellosis (bacillary dysentery). The most common symptoms of these illnesses are abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and fever. Shigella can also cause bloody diarrhea. It was estimated that each year Salmonella cause 93.8 million cases of gastroenteritis and 155,000 deaths globally. Shigella causes 164.7 million cases and 1.1 million deaths throughout the world yearly. People get these illnesses mainly by …

Examining Effects Of The Dna Regulator Lrp On Quorum Sensing Gene Expression In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Bradley Lumsden

Symposium of Student Scholars

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen that has the capacity to express multiple virulence factors that are regulated through an extensive quorum sensing network. Three major quorum sensing systems have been identified in Pseudomonas species: the acyl homoserine lactones of las and rhl, and the Pseudomonas Quinolone Signal (PQS). We seek to investigate the involvement of a global regulator, Lrp with the expression of these three networks. Specifically, we will compare expression levels of las, rhl, and pqs in wild type P. aeruginosa (MPAO1) with an lrp transposon insertion mutant using quantitative PCR. Through this comparative …