Detectable Diversity in Serratia and Pseudomonas Strains Found in a Local Environment

Abstract

Serratia and Pseudomonas strains in soil add to the large microbiome of its environment. Serratia and Pseudomonas in particular can contribute to their environment by purifying and cleaning toxins out of the soil they live in. In this experiment, a few types of bacteria were isolated from soil in one local location. The purpose of this research was to find if there was detectable diversity among the isolated species from this soil extraction. We hypothesized that even amongst samples taken of the same species, there would be some detectable diversity. One phenotype for measuring diversity is biofilm formation. The formation of a biofilm makes these strains of Serratia more virulent. A biofilm is a structured community of bacteria in a self-produced matrix. Swarming is a form of bacterial surface translocation that aims at colonizing all available surface space as quickly as possible. Swarming has been found to cause overexpression of virulence related genes, especially those of the type III secretion system. Products of this system often have cytotoxic effects. The gene that produces the most powerful cytogenetic effects is exoU. Diversity and variances can be found in any of these properties and abilities of these bacteria, such as biofilm formation, antibiotic resistance, and more.