University of Louisville
Where do the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Populations that Infect the Cystic Fibrosis Lungs Come From?
Institution
University of Louisville
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Susanna Remold
Abstract
As researchers delve deeper into the biogeography of microorganisms, they are finding similarities in the biogeographical patterns of macroorganisms. This is a study of the household biogeography of the genus Pseudomonas with the goal of identifying what effects dispersion and selection have on Pseudomonas populations. Of particular interest are the biogeographical patterns of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, often the cause of fatal infections in cystic fibrosis patients. To-date, twelve houses have participated in this ongoing study. Each house has approximately 100 niches located throughout and was sampled 8 times over the course of 2 years. The samples from drains and humans were selected as previous data suggests these contain the most P. aeruginosa. Portions of the 16s rDNA were amplified from each sample using Pseudomonas and P. aeruginosa specific primers.
Where do the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Populations that Infect the Cystic Fibrosis Lungs Come From?
As researchers delve deeper into the biogeography of microorganisms, they are finding similarities in the biogeographical patterns of macroorganisms. This is a study of the household biogeography of the genus Pseudomonas with the goal of identifying what effects dispersion and selection have on Pseudomonas populations. Of particular interest are the biogeographical patterns of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, often the cause of fatal infections in cystic fibrosis patients. To-date, twelve houses have participated in this ongoing study. Each house has approximately 100 niches located throughout and was sampled 8 times over the course of 2 years. The samples from drains and humans were selected as previous data suggests these contain the most P. aeruginosa. Portions of the 16s rDNA were amplified from each sample using Pseudomonas and P. aeruginosa specific primers.