Isolating Mycobacterium smegmatis via direct/enrichment for phages: Insights on Elizabeth River
Board Location: #4
Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Microbiology/Immunology/Virology
Session: 4
Cidney Hart - Norfolk State University
Co-Author(s): Taylor Jones, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA Ciara Carver Scotton, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA
This study aimed to isolate and characterize bacteriophages from soil and sediment samples of the Elizabeth River to investigate how environmental location influences bacteriophage presence. We hypothesized that sediment samples would contain a higher concentration of bacteriophages infecting Mycobacterium smegmatis than soil samples, owing to the nutrient-rich, moist conditions in marsh environments that support bacterial growth. Soil and sediment samples were collected in September 2024 and tested for phage presence using both direct and enriched isolation protocols. The results indicated a significantly higher concentration of bacteriophages in sediment samples, confirmed by visible plaque formation in M. smegmatis cultures, particularly with the enriched protocol. These findings support the hypothesis that sediment provides a more favorable habitat for bacteriophages than soil due to its bacterial-rich environment. This research advances our understanding of bacteriophage distribution in natural ecosystems and suggests marsh sediments as a promising source for future phage studies. Future work will focus on sequencing the genomes of isolated bacteriophages to determine their novelty and analyzing seasonal effects on phage abundance.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): National Science Foundation
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Nazir Barekzi, nabarekzi@nsu.edu
Role: Primary Researcher