Presentation Abstract

Student's Name: Forrest Veilleux '24

Co-registrant Names: Dr. Shallee Page

Type of Presentation: Paper Presentation

Presentation Title: "Discovery of a Bacteriophage from Brown Bat Guano"

Abstract:

Bacteriophages (“Phages” for short) are viruses. However, unlike the sort of viruses we more commonly hear about, they only infect bacteria. They are thought to be the most abundant organisms on the planet. Each phage is specific to a single bacterial species or to a narrow range of species. Phages may provide an effective method of treatment for bacterial infection, a technique known as phage therapy. Neither the bacteria inhabiting the guts of bats nor the bacteriophages specific to them have been well characterized. As such, a bacteriophage for E. coli K12 was isolated from guano produced by E. fuscus, the big brown bat. This bacteriophage was confirmed as novel and named bV_Ec_Tarrare. Its DNA was analyzed, and the results of this analysis have been submitted to a national databank called GenBank.

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