Go Beta or Go Home: The Resistance of the Beta-Lactamase in the Elizabethkingia anophelis Bacteria

Abstract

  The purpose of this study was to determine which genes in the Elizabethkingiaanophelisbacteria demonstrated beta-lactamase activity. It was hypothesized that our gene was positive for beta-lactamase activity. We took a beta-lactamase gene of the Elizabethkingiaanophelisbacteria and cloned and a PCR reaction was set up. Next a DNA Ligation was set up to lock the DNA strand into a vector, and then heat shock transformation was used to trap the DNA into an E-coli cell. The bacteria was spread on a petri dish and colonies were grown and counted. Single colonies were then picked from the petri dish from which plasmid DNA was extracted and sequenced to confirm our construct. The clones were then screened and placed on a disk with nitrocefin to determine if our gene demonstrated beta-lactamase activity. Our gene was confirmed to be positive.