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Description
Tiny Earth is a nationwide undergraduate student-sourced antibiotic discovery project. Antimicrobial resistance exhibited by pathogenic bacteria has become a significant concern in public health, especially with a group of six bacteria called the ESKAPE pathogens. This project aims to isolate soil bacteria from the local environment and determine if they produce antibiotics when co-cultured with ESKAPE bacteria. Extracts of soil samples collected from the grounds surrounding Lappin Hall were plated on tryptic soy agar (TSA) medium containing amphotericin B (which inhibits fungal growth) and then incubated for a few days at room temperature. Emergent colonies of the cultures were then used to establish pure cultures. Pure cultures of the soil bacteria were smeared onto microscope slides and Gram-stained to determine their cellular characteristics. To assess for antibiotic production by the soil bacteria, one-half of a TSA plate was inoculated with one of six ESKAPE bacteria, followed by spot inoculation of a soil bacterium on the same plate adjacent to the ESKAPE inoculum and then incubated at room temperature for several days. If a zone of inhibition (a region of no bacterial growth) emerges between the two bacteria, this might indicate that the soil bacterium is producing a compound that inhibits the growth of the ESKAPE bacterium. The project is presently in the stage of screening isolated soil bacteria for antibiotic production by this method.
Publication Date
4-16-2025
Disciplines
Higher Education | Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Recommended Citation
Reader, Joe; Reed, Ava; Wagenlander, Aiden; and Gearner, Geoffrey, "Tiny Earth: The Identification Of Antibiotic-Producing Bacteria From Soil Samples" (2025). 2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations. 63.
https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2025/63