Margo

Soil, which could go unnoticed and underestimated, contains an abundant amount of micro-bacterial life that can be used for antibacterial discoveries. Many scientists have found different bacteria that have helped create antibiotics to help fight off bacterial infections. With antibiotic resistance rising, soil is being used because it has such a complex ecosystem that has a plethora of diverse microorganisms that are capable of producing microbial products that can help create antibiotics. In this lab, each student collected soil samples to test for any microorganisms that inhibit any of the possible tester strains provided by the professor. My silty soil sample, “KK Soil Sample,” came from the Kiddi Kollege pumpkin patch located near the playground on January 31st, 2024 in Olathe, Kansas. For this sample, I dug down about an inch in-depth on a chilly and sunny day. I found a couple of potential candidates that inhibit different tester stains. “Margo,” is the candidate I chose to do further research on. This candidate showed signs of inhibiting Enterobacter aerogenes and Bacillus subtilis, which are two different tester strains that are closely related to pathogens that can cause infections that are harmful to humans. Margo is producing antibiotics to help potentially fight off these types of harmful infections.