Antibiotic Screening

The purpose of my research this semester was to cultivate microbes with the potential of secreting new antibiotic compounds against pathogenic microbial species that are resistant to current antibiotics. Narrowing down a strong antibiotic candidate required various experiments. First, two different soil samples were acquired and separately cultured for microbes. A series of serial dilutions were then conducted to calculate the number of cultivatable microbes. The cultivated microbes were analyzed for signs of inhibition with the top eleven candidates selected for antibiotic screening. Various antibiotic screenings were then conducted by cultivating the candidates alongside safe relatives of the pathogenic microbes. After three rounds of screening, candidate “7” showed the highest potential for a new antibiotic compound by inhibiting the growth of the safe relative Pseudomonas putida. By inhibiting the growth of an antibiotic-resistant microbial species, candidate “7” displays the presence of a new antibiotic compound. This microbe will now be further subcultured and analyzed on a microscopic and molecular level to identify its properties and structures