Earthward: The Quest for New Antibiotics in Soil
Abstract
According to the Infectious Disease Society of America, antimicrobial resistance is
recognized as one of the greatest threats to human health across the globe. Antibiotic resistance
costs the US healthcare system billions of dollars every year, and this problem is not going away.
The most common antibiotics used today are becoming less and less effective, in part due to
inappropriate usage and over prescription. The Small World Initiative (SW) and Tiny Earth (TE)
Program are networks of students and instructors dedicated to discovering new antibiotics from
soil and creating engaging laboratory coursework. Students at Pennsylvania State University
Schuylkill campus have one of the few programs utilizing the SWTE protocols and are able to
search for new antibiotic-producing bacteria. Soil samples are taken from PSU campus grounds
and cultured in order to study the bacteria within. After growing the soil microbes, students
decide which bacterial colonies look like promising antibiotic producers. Those chosen colonies
are then put through series of biochemical and selective/differential media tests in order to
identify the bacterial strain. The biochemical tests utilized to help determine bacterial
characteristics include: MRVP, phenol red, SIM media, oxidase, catalase, and citrate tests. The
selective and differential media used include gram staining and multiple agar compositions
including: eosin methylene blue, MacConkey, mannitol salt, starch, DNAse, gelatin, milk, and
blood. Results of these tests are included within the poster.
Poster
Presentation
Catherine’s Poster Presentation slides
Mini Bio
Catherine Kender is a first-year student at the PSU Schuylkill campus. Following this semester, she will continue to the Joseph F. McCloskey School of Nursing program at the Lehigh Valley Hospital campus in Pottsville, PA. Following an anticipated graduation in spring 2022, she plans to work in the nursing field for some time, and then go onto a nurse practitioner program out of state. Catherine lives in Hegins, PA with her parents and three younger siblings. In her free time, Catherine enjoys camping, cooking, and spending time with her pets and family.
