Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Biomedical Engineering
Monai Mitchell - Claflin University
Co-Author(s): Sebrena Brink, Claflin University, Orangeburg, SC
The emergence of antimicrobial resistance is a serious global problem. This is due to the exposure of a large human population and domestic animals to antibiotics (i.e., chicken cow, pork, etc.). The pharmaceutical companies had been developing and modifying new classes of antibiotics for decades but appeared to have exhausted the sources (i.e., microbes) that produce novel antibiotics. In search of new class of antibiotics we have utilized an innovative method to generate new kinds of antibiotics. We have developed a unique fusion of protoplasts from two species of microbes that recombine and generate a new form of chimeras that can produce new enzymes, chemicals and antimicrobials that never existed previously in nature. Using this method, over 800 new species of chimera of different species of Clostridia had been created in the laboratory. We have tested three different Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria with the supernatants of ~800 of Clostridia-Chimera Species to determine which chimera produces the most effective and broad spectrum antibiotics that can be bactericidal against a variety of multiple-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria. The initial screening has identified approximately 98 chimeras have produce strong zones of inhibitions. We believe that this method will bring about safe, efficient and effective new class of antibiotics to fight against MDR bacteria.
An Innovative Method.docxFunder Acknowledgement(s): None
Faculty Advisor: Omar Bagasra, obagasra@claflin.edu
Role: Kirby-Bauer Method and antibiotic screening method.