Class Year
2017
Document Type
Conference Material
Date of Creation
Fall 2015
Department 1
Biology
Abstract
This work reports the isolation and characterization of bacteria from the built environment at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, PA. Surfaces of a water fountain on campus were swabbed and serially streaked to isolate multiple bacteria on R2A agar. Following multiple rounds of growth, the unknown microbial candidates were narrowed to two visiblydistinct organisms. Morphological characterization and phylogenetic identification based on 16S rDNA sequencing revealed that the isolates were Chryseobactierum hispalense and Microbacterium maritypicum. We report synergistic biofilm formation between Chryseobactierum hispalense and Microbacterium maritypicum. The contamination of drinking water with varying levels of personal care products and pharmaceuticals (PCPPs) is well documented. Additionally, these environmental pollutants and their derivatives affect aquatic life, as illustrated with effect of the antidepressant fluoxetine on mudsnails. To determine if previously reported contaminants affect freshwater bacteria, we assessed both planktonic growth and biofilm formation following exposure to nalidixic acid (nonfluorinated quinolone antibiotic), diphenhydramine (overthecounter drug Benadryl), and fluoxetine (Prozac).
Copyright Note
This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
Recommended Citation
Finck, Amanda V.; DiGeronimo, Kelly J.; Sy, Nene S.; and Whatley, Zakiya, "Isolation & Characterization of Bacteria in the Built Environment: Measuring The Effect of Pharmaceuticals on Growth" (2015). Student Publications. 382.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/student_scholarship/382
Comments
HHMI Grant Funding
This poster was presented at the 18th Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences at UMBC, October 2015.