Presentation Type
Poster
Full Name of Faculty Mentor
Paul E. Richardson, Chemistry
Other Mentors
Madison Gentilo
Major
Marine Science
Presentation Abstract
The purpose of this study is to utilize bacteriophage as an environmental indicator of the presence of harmful bacteria in waterways on Coastal Carolina's campus and to identify bacteriophage that could be used to control bacterial blooms. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. These viruses are found ubiquitously in the environment and are the most abundant organism on Earth. Eleven sites are designated for weekly sample collection. Water samples are filtered and amplified using strains of E. coli B and E. coli K12 to allow potential viruses in the sample to proliferate to detectable levels. Plaque assays are used as a microbial screen for the presence of bacteriophage. Samples that test positively using the microbial test are analyzed through a molecular test using PCR and gene specific primers, which identify the viral families and confirm the presence of the desired bacteriophage. The results of this study illustrate the presence of bacteriophage on the Coastal Carolina's campus and the identification of at least one of the desired viral families.
Location
Poster Session 1
Start Date
12-4-2022 12:30 PM
End Date
12-4-2022 2:30 PM
Disciplines
Chemistry
Recommended Citation
Oldfield, Hailey and Gentilo, Madison, "Environmental Bacteriophage Detection on Coastal Carolina University Campus" (2022). Undergraduate Research Competition. 57.
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/ugrc/2022/fullconference/57
Included in
Environmental Bacteriophage Detection on Coastal Carolina University Campus
Poster Session 1
The purpose of this study is to utilize bacteriophage as an environmental indicator of the presence of harmful bacteria in waterways on Coastal Carolina's campus and to identify bacteriophage that could be used to control bacterial blooms. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. These viruses are found ubiquitously in the environment and are the most abundant organism on Earth. Eleven sites are designated for weekly sample collection. Water samples are filtered and amplified using strains of E. coli B and E. coli K12 to allow potential viruses in the sample to proliferate to detectable levels. Plaque assays are used as a microbial screen for the presence of bacteriophage. Samples that test positively using the microbial test are analyzed through a molecular test using PCR and gene specific primers, which identify the viral families and confirm the presence of the desired bacteriophage. The results of this study illustrate the presence of bacteriophage on the Coastal Carolina's campus and the identification of at least one of the desired viral families.