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Team:Westminster
From 2013.igem.org
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After World War II strong pesticides such as DDT and chlordane were widely used. Bed bugs almost disappeared completely over several decades because these pesticides were heavily used. Bed bug infestations were limited, and bed bugs were no longer considered a major pest. Eventually, these pesticides were proven harmful to people's health and the environment and as a result there use was prohibited. The absence and resistance to some of the pesticides combined with people migrating from country to country resulted in bed bug infestations increasing. Serratia marcescens, a member of the Enterobacteriaceae is reported as a highly efficient chitin degrader. We aim to use three chitinase genes obtained from S. marcescens in designing a chitin degrading E. coli. The bugs will be subjected to the E. coli via an artificial feeding device.
