22nd Annual Student Research Conference
Antibiotic Resistance of E. coli in Steer Creek
Kent T. Buxton* and David I. Taylor
Dr. Cynthia Cooper, Faculty Mentor
E. coli contamination of streams that pass through urban areas present public health concerns for local human populations. Exposure to pathogenic verotoxins produced by some strains of E. coli, the most prominent being O157:H7, can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and bloody diarrhea. Use of antibiotics in both humans and cattle sometimes leads to antibiotic resistant strains of E. coli that could pose a health threat. In this experiment, we determined the E. coli concentrations and antibiotic-resistance levels of water samples collected from Steer Creek in Kirksville, MO. We found concentration levels much higher than the EPA-safe limit by IDEXX Quanti-Tray quantification. Resistance was measured using the Kirby-Bauer method for determination of antibiotic susceptibility, but we found few antibiotic resistant pure cultures of E. coli.
Keywords: E. coli, Microbiology, Water Quality
Topic(s):Biology
Environmental Studies
Interdisciplinary
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 33-3
Location: OP 2111
Time: 1:45