Meeting Abstract
From the use, overuse, and misuse of antibiotics, microorganisms in our environment are constantly altered, making bacterial illnesses tougher to overcome. Microbes have genetic capacities that allow them to evolve and mutate at unpredictable rates, employing advantages such as biofilm to resist antibiotics. Thus, new methods of attack against microorganisms are needed. We hypothesized that plasma from the red-eared slider turtle (Trachemys scripta) would act in a synergistic way with antibiotics to improve bacterial killing. T. scripta plasma contains proteins that have immunogenic capacities, such as the complement cascade, that could be helpful in allowing antibiotics to kill bacteria more effectively. Slider plasma was added to sub-inhibitory concentrations of streptomycin for use against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. A bacterial killing assay was observed over 4 hours, and data was collected in colonies from contrasting plates of bacteria, bacteria & plasma, bacteria & antibiotic, as well as bacteria, plasma, & antibiotic. There was a significant effect of time for fresh and frozen plasma in killing E. coli and S. aureus. The effect of treatment was significant in fresh and frozen plasma in killing E. coli. However, there was not a significant time by treatment interaction in any trials. It was established that plasma and lower amounts of antibiotic could be used to increase the rate of bacterial elimination. Specifically, further analysis and experimentation could be used in support of employing slider plasma for decreasing antibiotic use in the treatment of bacterial infections.
