Identifier: TFM:220
Authors: Romero Santiveri, Clara
Abstract:
Electrochemical Detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Polymicrobial Environments Clara Romero Santiveri Master’s Program in Nanoscience, Materials and Processes, 2015-2016 Supervisor: Edgar D. Goluch Department of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, United States of America A major cause of death among hospitalized patients results from infections acquired in the hospital setting, with Pseudomonas aeruginosa being one of the most prevalent hospital-acquired bacterial pathogens. This bacterium produces a unique, redox-active molecule known as pyocyanin. Because pyocyanin can be detected using electrochemistry, it serves as a useful biomarker for identification and detection of this opportunistic pathogen. While previous research has electrochemically detected P. aeruginosa’s production of pyocyanin in complex media environments, this study addresses the need to understand how P. aeruginosa behaves when co-cultured with other bacterial pathogens by electrochemically monitoring P. aeruginosa’s production of pyocyanin in polymicrobial samples. Liquid cultures of the most common clinically-relevant bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Enterococcus faecalis) were grown overnight at 37 °C in lysogeny broth or trypticase soy broth growth media. From these stock cultures, different polymicrobial combinations were tested. Production of pyocyanin was monitored every hour for the first 24 hours and then every 6 hours afterwards for a total of 3 days. The results from this study demonstrate that P. aeruginosa produces pyocyanin at similar rates, regardless if other bacterial pathogens are present, aiding in development of this sensing platform for clinical point-of-care diagnostics.
Repositori URV