Antagonism of Staphylococcus aureus Using Naturally Occurring Bacterial Isolates as a Potential Novel Probiotic

Megan Cozort* and Matthew Williams

Department of Biology, West Virginia University Institute of Technology, Beckley, WV 25801

Presentation Category: Oral-Science & Technology (Oral Presentation #35)

Student’s Major: Biology

It is important to our health that we maintain a healthy complement of health associated commensal bacteria to fight off pathogenic disease causing bacteria that could cause infection. Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic pathogen which is carried by 30% of people in their nose and on their skin. While generally not harmful to healthy hosts, when given access to an incorrect body site or to immune compromised individuals it can cause sepsis, pneumonia, endocarditis, and severe skin infections all of which can become life-threatening. Resistance to the antibiotic methicillin is an increasing problem in many strains of S. aureus. These MRSA (methicillin resistant S. aureus) strains reflect a growing issue of antibiotic resistance found in multiple pathogens highlighting the importance of novel therapies, such as probiotics, to fight such infections. Our research project used antagonism studies to evaluate the efficacy of novel bacterial isolates in preventing the growth of pathogenic bacteria. This study evaluated the isolates as a preventative measure against S. aureus. Several isolates were successful at inhibiting the growth of the pathogen. The isolates were identified by bioinformatics analysis of their genomes, using 16s genetic sequencing. Results of the sequencing determined that one of the potential probiotics that was effective in preventing the growth of S. aureus was a novel strain of Pseudomonas tolaasii. Future studies will identify the other novel isolates and characterize our P. tolaasii strain further.

Funding: West Virginia University Institute of Technology

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: a WVU 497-level course