22nd Annual Student Research Conference
Identification of Host Range for Escherichia Coli Specific Bacteriophages Using Lytic Plaques
Sarahann M. Hutchinson
Dr. Michael Lockhart, Faculty Mentor
Escherichia coli is a rod-shaped bacterium and member of the family coliforms. A good indicator of fecal contamination, certain strains of the bacterium are toxic to humans making it important to distinguish between strains. One particular method that exists for the identification of individual strains is phage-typing. This method makes use of bacteriophages, viruses that propagate using bacteria, to distinguish between strains through the use of lytic plaques. Due to host range specificity, the viruses will only produce plaques on distinct bacterial strains. Taking into account this specificity, this investigation identified a host range for E. coli specific bacteriophages using eight standard strains of E. coli.
Keywords: Escherichia coli, bacteriophage, lytic plaques, microbiology, phage-typing, Host range
Topic(s):Biology
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: 10-9
Location: PML
Time: 4:15