Advancing alternatives to antibiotics: Investigating bacteriocin activity against MRSA and GBS

Introduction/Objectives: Bacteria produce antimicrobial peptides called bacteriocins that inhibit the growth and/or kill other bacteria. Efforts are being made to harness this natural activity to reduce our dependence on antibiotics, thus decreasing the spread of antibiotic resistance and associated human mortality. This study serves as an investigation into bacteriocins against Methicillin Resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (MRSA) and <i>Streptococcus agalactiae</i> (Group B Strep/GBS), including improved bioprospecting techniques and antimicrobial activity assays. While this study is still underway, we anticipate zones of inhibition from Bacillus species against our target pathogens MRSA and GBS, with a protective effect against probiotic <i>Lactobacillus</i> spp. Our objective is to use these natural antimicrobial producers with activity against known pathogens to identify peptide structures which may 1) provide a more targeted approach to infections caused by single species, 2) preserve the integrity of our beneficial microbiome, and 3) provide an alternative to antibiotic use in clinical settings.