Antibiotic resistant bacteria have been found in diverse environments all over the world with greater rates of resistance in those locations most closely in contact with human populations. The Navajo Creek is a small, suburban waterway 15 miles southwest of Chicago, IL that flows through neighborhoods and forest preserves. Among bacteria isolated from the creek, resistance to five different antibiotics has been discovered, and metagenomic analysis of these populations shows diversity among the resistant microbes. Strikingly, one bacterial species, Providencia alcalifaciens, shows resistance to all five antibiotics simultaneously. Full genome analysis reveals that this species displays a diverse set of resistance genes to overcome these drugs. The interplay between these genes and the drugs they defeat is still being determined. Additionally, the full range of P. alcalifaciens in the local environment is being measured by identifying the microbe in regional water, soil, and animal waste. This project offers careful analysis of a highly resistant microbe and potential pathogen that resides in a suburban waterway.
Support or Funding Information
This work is funded by the Vander Velde Research Fellowship program at Trinity Christian College.
This work is funded by the Vander Velde Research Fellowship program at Trinity Christian College.amp;nbsp;
