Department

College of Science and Technology, NC A&T, 1601 E Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27411

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

4-17-2026

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance is a serious global health concern, with ESKAPEE pathogens contributing to most hospital-acquired pathogens. The discovery of new antibiotic-producing bacteria and optimization of conditions to maximize the production of antimicrobial compounds is crucial in addressing the antimicrobial resistance crisis. This research, in collaboration with the Tiny Earth Project, aims to determine the effect of nutrient composition in growth media on the production of antimicrobial compounds in soil-derived bacteria. I hypothesized that soil-derived bacteria grown on mannitol salt agar (MSA) plates would result in larger zones of inhibition compared to those grown on LB agar (LBA) plates, as the high salt stress environment on MSA plates enhances the production of antimicrobial compounds. Chemical extractions were performed on Isolate 12 grown on MSA plates, and the antimicrobial activity was tested by swabbing Bacillus subtilis and Acinetobacter baylyi on MSA plates and then applying the chemical compounds. The results confirmed my hypothesis, where the soil isolate's chemical extract was observed to have a clear zone of inhibition, just like the positive control, the chemical extract of Lysobacter antibioticus, whereas the negative control, the methanol, did not have a zone of inhibition at all. This, therefore, proves that stress-inducing media can indeed successfully identify new antibiotic-producing bacteria, giving us a glimpse into the mechanisms by which stressors from the environment initiate the production of these antibiotic substances. Future directions include testing this extract against the remaining ESKAPEE pathogens to evaluate its potential for broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity.

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