Abstract 1663 Providencia alcalifaciens is a highly antibiotic resistant microbe found in a suburban creek

Antibiotic resistance is a serious and growing problem around the world. More direly, resistance rates tend to be greater near human populations. One such area is the Navajo Creek, a suburban waterway near southwest Chicago that flows through neighborhoods and forest preserves. Water samples collected from suburban waterways over the course of several months indicate that Providencia alcalifaciens is widespread, both geographically and temporally. Whole-genome sequencing of P. alcalifaciens reveals a wide variety of resistance genes that allow it to survive in the presence of antibiotics, but the interplay between these genes and the corresponding antibiotics is not yet understood. Further, research is being performed to determine the mechanisms for antibiotic resistance in P. alcalifaciens. This is being done by using qPCR to measure gene expression or resistance genes which will lead to a better understanding of what genes are expressed under what conditions. Meanwhile, the search for other treatment solutions for P. alcalifciens is underway. One particular source of interest is found in bacteriophage. Overall, this project offers ecological and genomic analysis of a highly resistant microbe and insight into the potential for more effective means of treatment of the pathogen. Andrew BeBlecourt is funded by a Vander Velde Junior Research Fellowship, funded by Trinity Christian College.