TRAIN Scholar Justine Horton's Blog

Hi Everyone, Another busy week. Mostly busy outside of school, and because of that, I had little time to work in the lab. I've been at a standstill for the last week, unsure what to do with my experiment. The Conga Red that we ordered, lost, and then had to re-order, didn't work as expected. I've dove a little deeper and found a more accurate but laborious option for detecting biofilms. On a better note, I've been able to really work on my research paper, which, in previous semesters, had typically been put on the back burner. Next week, I plan to dedicate my lab time to working on this new technique. Can you see the film in the tube?

Hi Everyone, Hope everyone had a nice spring break. I spent most of the break taking long naps and enjoying my birthday. I never realize how tired school and constantly being on the go makes me feel until it all comes to a stop. This week is about finding my groove again, but I also have to worry about the second exams for my science classes. When I returned from break, none of the bacteria turned black (or any color) on the conga red plates. Black would've indicated biofilm-forming bacteria. Josh and I are sure the pseudomonas aeruginosa is at least a biofilm-forming bacteria, which leads us to believe that something is wrong with the conga red in the agar plates. To prove our theory (pseudomonas aeruginosa being a biofilm-forming bacteria), we've put pieces of foil in TSB to promote biofilm growth. We are doing this because we noted that for biofilm to form, it needed a surface to adhere to.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a pathogen found in dirt. It has become more commonly associated with hospital-related infections, including those such as ventilator-associated pneumonia. (Lima et al., 2017) It is also known for being particularly hard to kill because of its high intrinsic antibiotic resistance. Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus are considered two of the most prevalent pathogens in hospital-related infections. These strains of Staphylococcus usually are part of the human microbiota, and they can contaminate medical instruments and implants and cause infections. (Chessa et al., 2016) Certain strains of Staphylococcus Aureus have gained the ability to resist the antibiotic methicillin. This strain is known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). (Kot et al., 2020) Due to the increased emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, finding new ways to combat these pathogens has become essential. Their ability to form biofilms makes each of these b