Apr 20th, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Title
Antibiotic Resistance and the Pentapeptides: Novel Antibacterial Agents For Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus
Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Ken Cornell
Information
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) are strains of Staphylococcus Aureus that are resistant to a large family of antibiotics called beta-lactams that include penicillins (e.g. oxacillin) and the cephalosporins. A 2007 report estimated that between 1995-2005 MRSA related hospitalizations more than doubled from 128,000 to 278,000. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of novel anti-Staphylococcal pentapeptides at inhibiting the growth of both S. Aureus and MRSA through a standard growth assay, IC50 study, and Kirby-bauer testing. The results of this experiment demonstrated that certain pentapeptides showed antibacterial activity and increased the effectiveness of oxacillin for MRSA.