Students will study the human effect on the environment through their use of antimicrobials. Application of microbiological laboratory techniques with an emphasis on biochemical analysis and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria identification caused by human consumption and disposal of antimicrobial drugs that arise in natural water systems will allow students to apply their knowledge.
Athena Title
Intro Microbiology Lab II
Prerequisite
MIBO 3500L and (MIBO 3500 or MIBO 3500E or MIBO 3500H)
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall and spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to identify and describe the significance of the human activity of antimicrobial usage and its environmental impact and apply basic skills practiced in a modern microbiology laboratory to identify types of antimicrobial-resistant microbes from freshwater environmental systems.
Students will be able to isolate and identify target bacteria of interest from local environments using selective enrichment approaches, biochemical tests, and genomic sequence analysis approaches.
Students will be able to analyze the quantity of microbes present in local environments and the characteristics they exhibit, such as antibiotic resistance, specialized nutrient utilization, and the synthesis of certain products of interest that impact the environment.
Students will be able to execute and compare various genetic transfer methods that influence microbial evolution, impact the increasing spread of antibiotic resistance genes in our society, and are used as tools in industry and research.
Students will be able to collaborate in small teams to execute multi-week microbiology research projects and effectively communicate the environmental impacts of their findings through written and oral reports.
Environmental awareness statement: As humans continue to rely on life-saving activities such as antimicrobial use, the consequential effect on the environment is the increasing burden of a microbial response of drug resistance. Soil and particularly water systems are highly impacted by this single human activity. Introductory Microbiology Lab II moves students to apply the scientific method and delve into the discussion, identification, observation, and potential outcomes of increasing microbial antibiotic resistance in the environment. This awareness will lead students to consider ways of addressing antimicrobial use and its disposal to lessen the environmental impact.
Topical Outline
Types of antimicrobials used by humans
Antimicrobials in water systems
Enrichment and isolation of bacteria from environmental water samples
16S rRNA gene amplification, sequencing, and sequence analysis for identification
Use of selective and differential media to quantify fecal coliforms and E. coli in environmental water samples
Use of selective and differential media plus biochemical tests to isolate and identify extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase bacteria from environmental water samples
Kirby Bauer disk diffusion assays for antimicrobial resistance in isolated bacteria from environmental water samples
PCR screens for beta-lactamase genes that convey antimicrobial drug resistance in environmental isolates
Natural transformation of Acinetobacter, a soil, and water associated microbe that easily acquires drug resistance
Conjugation and mobility with the use of a mating assay to determine antibiotic resistance gene mobility
Conjugation and mutagenesis by use of conjugative transfer of an antimicrobial-resistant conferring plasmid; selection and screening of mutants
Isolation of bacteriophage from sewage
Identification of bacteriophage that allows for the transfer of antimicrobial resistance among environmental microbes
