What’s in The Office

Antibiotic resistance is an issue for medicinal practice across the globe. Many antibiotic production companies do not prioritize or fund research for the potential discovery of new antibiotics. Soil contains billions of microorganisms, many of which have yet to be discovered. Soil also contains many antibiotic characteristics, which can be seen in the discovery of penicillin. The purpose of this experiment was to use locally found soil, examine the bacteria in the soil, and select and identify a bacteria candidate for further examination. A soil sample was taken from Lawrence, Kansas and a serial dilution was performed. The dilution yielded 25 candidates for further screening. Master plates were created for the 25 candidates to isolate the bacteria from the soil samples. From the master plates, I selected 6 candidates to screen against ESKAPE pathogen relatives. Candidate #3, Jim, showed the most promising as it yielded inhibition against A. baylyi and E. Faecalis. Jim showed gram negative rods when gram staining was performed. Polymerase chain reaction will be performed in order to hopefully identify Jim. Future examination of soils should continue to be performed in the hopes of aiding in the fight against antibiotic resistance.