Antibiotic research done right here.
Hunter Moore and Paige Weber participated in the Tiny Earth undergraduate research program this December. The goal of this research effort was to identify novel antibiotics that could aid in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Hunter and Paige identified several promising soil bacteria that inhibited the growth of common human pathogens and presented their findings at the Titletown Tiny Earth conference.
Aiding the Age of Antibiotics
In the age of antibiotics, society has seen an incredible decrease in deaths from infectious diseases. However, the rapid emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has threatened to reverse these results. 2019 saw antibiotic-resistant bacteria kill at least 1.27 million people worldwide and contribute to nearly 5 million total deaths. This rise in resistance can be tied to overuse and misuse of antibiotics.
To address the antibiotic resistance crisis Tiny Earth is recruiting undergraduate students in the hunt for new antibiotics. Students sample soil searching through the vast microbial communities contained therein to find antibiotic-producing bacteria. Each isolated bacteria is tested for antimicrobial activity against the most common hospital-acquired bacteria known as the ESKAPE pathogens. ESKAPE stands for Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species.
Our Local Researchers
Hunter and Paige selected soil from the wetlands portion of Concordia’s campus in their search for organisms. They found several that displayed antibiotic activity against ESKAPE pathogens and were able to sequence the 16s portion of the genome to identify two of them.
Hunter is graduating this winter and pursuing medical school where he will be able to use his understanding of antibiotic resistance to practice good antibiotic stewardship and slow the spread of resistance. Paige is a freshman and will continue to research the organisms she discovered as she pursues her biomedical degree and medical school. Her next research step will be to determine if the antibiotics produced are toxic to humans or safe for use.
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Concordia University Wisconsin is a Lutheran higher education community committed to helping students develop in mind, body, and spirit for service to Christ in the Church and the world.
This article was written by Dr. Justin Speck