Abstract Detail

Recent Topics Posters

Butterfield, Sara [1], McCarthy, Mirabai [2].

Antibiotic Potential of Bryophytes, Lichens, and Pteridophytes in NW Montana.

Widespread overuse of antibiotics in medical and agricultural industries has resulted in extensive antibiotic resistance at the global level, which poses an immediate threat to human health. The most commonly used antibiotics are currently synthesized from fungi and bacteria, yet other organisms such as lichens, bryophytes and pteridophytes have sparked scientific interest as potential sources of antimicrobial compounds, but only a small fraction of species have been tested. The overarching goal of our research is to determine whether locally occurring lichens, bryophytes, and pteridophytes have antibiotic potential against the pathogenic bacteria Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis & S. aureus. Antibiotic activity of seventeen different plant and lichen species was analyzed using ethanol extracts and the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method, and zones of bacterial inhibition were documented. Extractions from seventy-one percent of the species tested inhibited growth of Staphylococcus epidermis, but none inhibited that of E. coli. Our continued research in this area will involve testing extractions from additional plant and lichen species against these bacteria, and combining various extracts to determine whether we can produce more synergistically effective antibiotics.

1 - Flathead Valley Community College, Biology, 777 Grandview Dr., Kalispell, MT, 59901, USA
2 - Flathead Valley Community College, Biology, 777 Grandview Dr., Kalispell, MT, 59901

Keywords:
Antibiotic
Bryophyte
lichen
pteridophyte.

Presentation Type: Recent Topics Poster
Session: P, Recent Topics Posters
Location: Exhibit Hall/Savannah International Trade and Convention Center
Date: Monday, August 1st, 2016
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PRT010
Abstract ID:1178
Candidate for Awards:None