Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic resistance is a problem that has become a public health issue and is on the rise. As the use of antibiotics increases, the chances of resistance to these antibiotics also increase, leading to the spread of these mutations. This experiment is designed to discover new antibiotics that come from the soil. Soil presents a diverse range of microbes and is widely available, making it an ideal and accessible source for harboring antibiotics. This is done by collecting soil, performing serial dilutions, isolating colonies on a master plate, screening them against several safe relatives, and finally isolating potential candidates on a streak plate. This allows species of bacteria that exhibited a zone of inhibition to be identified and tested for their antimicrobial abilities. Finding new antibiotics combats the rate at which resistance is spreading and is a necessary advancement in an ever-changing and adapting world.