ORCA Undergraduate Research Award – Final Report

Authors

Michael Daetwyler, Brigham Young University

Keywords

Staphylococcus epidermidis, Gram-positive bacteria, MRSA, VRE

College

Life Sciences

Department

Microbiology and Molecular Biology

Abstract

While working on my undergraduate degree, I studied an interesting strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis. This particular strain produced an unidentified substance, which was lethal to other Gram-positive bacteria. I immediately thought that this substance might prove advantageous in treating infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria. To begin investigating that possibility, I grew the strain of S. epidermidis near clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycinresistant Enterococcus (VRE), antibiotic resistant bacteria that plague hospital patients around the world. Amazingly, the strain of S. epidermidis was lethal to all of the isolates that it was tested against.

Recommended Citation

Daetwyler, Michael (2014) "ORCA Undergraduate Research Award – Final Report," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2014: Iss. 1, Article 786.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2014/iss1/786