Team:Baskent Meds/Project

Transformation of Escherichia coli In Order To Develop Legionella pneumophila Sensing Bacteria

In order to reduce the infection risk, detection of environmental source and reduction of microbial load are required. Hyperchlorination of water source and permanence of height water temperature provides mid-grade success. Besides, total eradication of Legionella pneumophila from water sources is quite difficult. Since organism’s potential of infection in closed water storage areas is low, reducing the number of organisms in water source would be a sufficient precaution for control. Our recombinant bacteria are able to respond to biological load of Legionella pneumophila so, increase in number of Legionella cells leads to increased secretion of anti-legionella peptide, and that plays an important role in controlling Legionella numbers in water source.
Legionella pneumophila cannot be cultured using conventional media, it needs mediums with cysteine and iron. Application of standard culture techniques and detection of bacteria from samples can last up to 10 days. Even identification at genus level is done on media, identification at species level is troubled and samples are generally sent to reference laboratories for this step. When detection with simultaneous quantitative polymerase chain reaction is considered, both method itself reduces required time and identification time is shortened by usage of commercial kits. However, in order this method to give accurate quantitative results at adequate titration, sensitive standardizations must be done for different types of environmental samples. This test is needed to be done in standardized reference laboratories and cost per sample is high. With our quorum sensing based system, presence of low bacterial load can be detected at species level.
In conclusion, detection and prevention of colonization of Legionella pneumophila are substantially costly and requires long processes. Our biological system can both provide detection and prevent colonization that occurred via high bacterial load with a considerably low cost. Since is works with natural biological expression process, the system can react to environmental alterations in a small amount of time. As the system can settle itself on colonization surfaces, it is easy to use after the first inoculation. The system does not constitute any risks in means of biosafety because Escherichia coli strains which are noninfectious, present in environment and has low virulence are manipulated and developed

Our Sponsors