THE EFFECT OF VANCOMYCIN ON CHROMOBACTERIUM VIOLACEUM

Abstract

THE EFFECT OF VANCOMYCIN ON CHROMOBACTERIUM VIOLACEUM ABSTRACT LAMYAA N. ALSHAMMARI. The Effect of Vancomycin on Chromobacterium violaceum (Under the direction of DR. TERRANCE L. JOHNSON) Chromobacterium violaceum (CV) is a facultative anaerobic organism specified as one of the gram-negative bacteria. CV has one flagellum found at the pole of the bacillus that gives the organism its motility nature. Natural CV is found in the soil and water. This bacterium has various biotechnological and pharmacological benefits. The organism has no pathogenic effects on humans, although at the point where human body meets the bacterium it can cause infection. The bacterial infection enters the body through lymph nodes and wounds into the bloodstream thus causing a mild skin infection. The infection can reach fatal stage on delayed treatment leading to lung, liver, and lymph problems. Therefore, determining the appropriate medications to treat such a bacterial infection is necessary. This research paper aims to test the sensitivity and growth of CV on specific antibiotics such as Vancomycin, at different media concentrations. The outcome from this experiment indicates that the 3 plates containing CV strains (CV 14N1, CV 14N23, and CV 12472) treated with vancomycin antitoxin imply that there was impaired bacterial growth at the initial use of sub-MIC concentrations. However, after 24 hours of experimentation, the CV strains developed mild resistance showing small colonies, no purple pigment production and after 48 hours the colonies were big with the purple pigment hence, more CV growth due to increased resistance. Since thevi bacterium shows sensitivity at the initial hours under certain antibiotics, and full resistance after two days, thus it is appropriate to combine antibiotic drugs for successful treatment of CV caused infections