The Effects of Human Behavior on Staphylococcus and Escherichia Bacteriophage Presence at Coastal Carolina University

Antibiotic resistant bacterial infections cost the US healthcare system roughly $21 billion each year and more than 35,000 deaths, according to the CDC and the Infectious Disease Society of America. This global health threat has initiated new outlooks for antibiotic resistant bacterial infections, such as bacteriophage therapy, to be explored. Bacteriophages are naturally occurring, nonpathogenic viruses which can lyse and kill bacteria. The direct isolation of bacteriophages will, hopefully, allow for the natural sourcing of bacteriophages to be employed against antibiotic resistant bacterial infections like Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). At Coastal Carolina University, the Staphylococcus Aureus and Escherichia Coli population of students and faculty were monitored and scrutinized. During the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-21), annual monitoring indicated an absence of phage presence on humans. In 2021-22, as COVID-19 restrictions diminish, bacteriophage presence was further studied to understand the radical change in bacteriophage presence from 2020-21. Each participant provided a postauricular and nasal swab, along with completing a survey regarding their perceived stress levels and daily hygiene habits. Each sample was put through microbial and molecular tests to establish the presence of bacteriophages. The aim for this study was to isolate and scrutinize the Staphylococcus Aureus and Escherichia Coli bacteria and to determine potential correlations between participant hygiene and perceived stress to bacteriophage presence