Viral Warriors: Screening Water Samples for Bacteriophages Against Multiple Drug Resistant Bacteria

Although mutation occurs randomly in nature and is passed randomly between bacterial species, the misuse and overuse of antibiotics in modern medicine has selected for antibiotic resistant organisms, resulting in an epidemic of antibiotic resistant infections. Bacteriophage (phage) therapy, which uses lytic bacteriophages to attack specific bacteria strains, is seen as an alternative treatment method against pathogenic bacteria and is regarded as a superior method to antibiotics as it is much more specific and should not cause side effects or negative harm to the beneficial normal flora of the host. Phages have been used extensively in former Soviet Union countries with success, which has prompted Western researchers to consider using bacteriophages to fight microbial infections. Phage screening was performed on eight multiple drug resistant (MDR) bacterial strains provided from LifeLabs in Kamloops, B.C. Eight water samples from extreme and nutrient-limited habitats were used as a source of phages. Water samples were obtained from the Kamloops Sewage Treatment Plant, Kamloops Wastewater Treatment Center, Domtar, Pacific Ocean, Bisaro Anima Cave, and alkaline ponds. In addition, a water sample was created from mixing soil from Abbotsford, B.C. with sterile water. The successfulness of each phage screening trial was measured through the formation of plaques, which developed after plating the MDR bacteria, molten agar, and phages for confluent growth on nutrient agar. E. coli strain 318 developed plaques and was sent to GENEWIZ for sequencing