Discovering Biofilms: Inquiry-Based Activities for the Classroom

Redelman, Carly V.; Marrs, Kathleen A.; Anderson, Gregory G.

doi:10.1525/abt.2012.74.5.4

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Nevertheless, several collaborative approaches have been explored to involve undergraduate students in completing the full cycle of design, synthesis, and biological screening. For example, students in introductory microbiology courses and independent research laboratories at IUPUI have tested compounds from this experiment in a variety of simple assays. − Independent research students at the Medical University of Lublin have also prepared and tested compounds from this experiment in antimicrobial assays and have identified active compounds. (Example assay protocols and data are included in the Supporting Information, SI-2 pp 61–64.)…”

Section: Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Globally Distributed Drug Discovery of New Antibiotics: Design and Combinatorial Synthesis of Amino Acid Derivatives in the Organic Chemistry Laboratory

et al. 2019

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An experiment for the synthesis of N-acyl derivatives of natural amino acids has been developed as part of the Distributed Drug Discovery (D3) program. Students use solid-phase synthesis techniques to complete a three-step, combinatorial synthesis of six products, which are analyzed using LC−MS and NMR spectroscopy. This protocol is suitable for introductory organic laboratory students and has been successfully implemented at multiple academic sites internationally. Accompanying prelab activities introduce students to SciFinder and to medicinal chemistry design principles. Pairing of these activities with the laboratory work provides students an authentic and cohesive research project experience.

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Section: Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Globally Distributed Drug Discovery of New Antibiotics: Design and Combinatorial Synthesis of Amino Acid Derivatives in the Organic Chemistry Laboratory

et al. 2019

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“…All CoR-PA isolates featured in this study were evaluated on their capacity to support biofilm formation using a microtiter-plate assay as previously described [ 34 , 35 , 36 ]. Briefly, CoR-PA isolates were adjusted to the 0.5 McFarland standard (1 × 10 8 cfu/mL); 20 μL of CoR-PA isolates were grown in 96-well flat-bottomed sterile plates with 180 μL of Mueller–Hinton broth II (Difco, Detroit, MI, USA) supplemented with 1% glucose.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antimicrobials as Single and Combination Therapy for Colistin-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa at a University Hospital in Thailand

et al. 2020

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Global infections with colistin-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CoR-PA) are increasing; there are currently very few studies focused on the antimicrobial susceptibility of CoR-PA isolates, and none from Thailand. Here, we investigated the impact of various antimicrobials, alone and in combination, via the in vitro testing of CoR-PA clinical isolates. Eighteen CoR-PA isolates were obtained from patients treated at Phramongkutklao Hospital from January 2010 through June 2019; these were classified into six different clonal types by using the enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)-PCR method, with a high prevalence of Group A (27.8%). The antimicrobial susceptibility was determined as the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) using the epsilometer-test (E-test) method. The synergistic activities of six antimicrobial combinations were reported via the fractional-inhibitory-concentration index. All CoR-PA isolates were susceptible to amikacin, meropenem, and ceftolozane/tazobactam, but only 5.56% were susceptible to imipenem. In vitro synergistic activities were detected for amikacin with aztreonam, piperacillin/tazobactam, meropenem, and ceftazidime for 16.67%, 11.11%, 11.11%, and 5.55%, respectively. One CoR-PA isolate carried the blaVIM metallo-β-lactamase gene; none carried mcr-1 genes or detected plasmid-mediated AmpC β-lactamase or an overproduction of chromosomal AmpC β-lactamase. Seven CoR-PA isolates (38.89%) were capable of biofilm formation. In conclusion, CoR-PA isolates are highly susceptible to antimicrobials; the synergy observed in response to the various agents should be examined in a clinical setting.

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“…Biofilms have serious health consequences, given their implication in a range of human infections (5)(6)(7)(8)(9), as well as affect the environment via water pollution and industrial fouling (10,11). While biofilms are actively-studied in research laboratories, they largely absent or minimally described in school and undergraduate biology curricula (12). For example, the high school textbook Life on Earth (13) discusses microbial communities in the context of biodiversity, but does not discuss the biofilm mode of microbial life.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Of Biofilms and Beehives: An Analogy-Based Instructional Tool to Introduce Biofilms to High-School and Undergraduate Students

Kadam

Chattopadhyay

Kaushik

2021

Preprint

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The concept of biofilms and biofilm-based research is largely absent or minimally described in high school and undergraduate life science curriculum. While it is well-established that microbes, such as bacteria and fungi most often exist in multicellular biofilm communities, descriptions in standard biology textbooks continue to focus on the single-celled form of microbial life. We have developed an analogy-based instructional tool to introduce and explain biofilms to high school and undergraduate students. The module employs an analogy with beehives, given that biofilms and beehives are both ‘superorganism’ states, to explain key biofilm features such as development and structure, chemical communication, division of labor and emergent properties. We delivered this analogy based learning tool to a cohort of 49 high school and undergraduate students, and based on participant feedback and learnings, present a formal evaluation of the instructional tool. Further, we outline prerequisites and learning approaches that can enable the delivery of this module in classroom and virtual learning settings, including suggestions for pre-lesson reading, student-centred interactive activities, and specific learning objectives. Taken together, this instructional analogy holds potential to serve as an educational tool to introduce biofilms in high school and undergraduate curricula in a relatable and comprehensible manner.

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Discovering Biofilms: Inquiry-Based Activities for the Classroom

Cited by 5 publications

References 33 publications

Globally Distributed Drug Discovery of New Antibiotics: Design and Combinatorial Synthesis of Amino Acid Derivatives in the Organic Chemistry Laboratory

Globally Distributed Drug Discovery of New Antibiotics: Design and Combinatorial Synthesis of Amino Acid Derivatives in the Organic Chemistry Laboratory

Antimicrobials as Single and Combination Therapy for Colistin-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa at a University Hospital in Thailand

Of Biofilms and Beehives: An Analogy-Based Instructional Tool to Introduce Biofilms to High-School and Undergraduate Students

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