Hunting for Phage at Carthage: Characterization of Mycobacteriophage Squid — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

Hunting for Phage at Carthage: Characterization of Mycobacteriophage Squid

Name: Elizabeth Allen
Major: Biology
Hometown: Appleton, WI
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project
Funding: Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Name: Kara Aittama
Major: Biology
Hometown: Plover, WI
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project
Funding: Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Name: Alissa Behl
Major: Biology
Hometown: Lindstrom, MN
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project
Funding: Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Name: Tiffany Burton
Major: Biology
Hometown: Huntley, IL
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project
Funding: Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Name: Emily Duex
Major: Biology
Hometown: Spring Grove, IL
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project
Funding: Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Name: Beth Klein
Major: Biology
Hometown: Sheboygan, WI
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project
Funding: Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Name: Elizabeth Lanum
Major: Biology
Hometown: Kenosha, WI
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project
Funding: Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Name: Benjamin Massat
Major: Biology
Hometown: Buffalo Grove, IL
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project
Funding: Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Name: Elizabeth Roggasch
Major: Biology
Hometown: Kearney, Nebraska
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project
Funding: Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Name: Kristen Verdoorn
Major: Biology
Hometown: Merrill, WI
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project
Funding: Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Name: Haley Wilke
Major: Biology
Hometown: Dekalb, IL
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project
Funding: Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Abstract

Bacteriophages are very abundant and diverse viruses, which must infect and kill host bacteria in order to replicate. The clinical use of bacteriophages has the potential to cure infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria as well as to rapidly diagnose specific bacterial infections. Our study focuses upon the isolation and characterization of mycobacteriophages, which infect the genus Mycobacterium, and have the potential to be used for treatment and diagnosis of tuberculosis, a global disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Multiple mycobacteriophage were isolated using M. smegmatis, a nonpathogenic relative of M. tuberculosis, as the bacterial host. These phages were examined for plaque morphology, phage morphology, and DNA restriction patterns. Four of the 12 phages isolated were temperate phage, and all of the phages examined with the electron microscope had long, non-contractile tails, categorizing them as siphoviridae. In addition, one phage, Squid, was chosen for genome sequencing. Squid’s sequence revealed that it is a B1 cluster phage, and the genome is being annotated to identify the location and function for every gene.

Poster file