Presenters: J Ben Gordon ; Alyssa Cranston ; Parker Danielson ; Minji Kim ; Jonah Rallison
Authors: Hayden Ayers, Alyssa Cranston, J Ben Gordon, Parker Danielson, Jeremy Dean, Minji Kim, Heemin Lee, Rebecca Moulton, Jonah Rallison, Lauren Wells, Julianne Grose
Faculty Advisor: Julianne Grose
Institution: Brigham Young University
Antibiotic resistance among bacterial infections is a growing concern in healthcare. In a 2013 report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it is estimated that in the US antibiotic resistant infections cause at least 23,000 deaths and an excess of 20 billion dollars in healthcare costs each year [1]. It has been noted that the most concerning strains contributing to the antibiotic resistance crisis are members of the family Enterobacteriaceae [2]. The use of bacteriophages as an additional measure to treat bacterial infections has recently increased in popularity as research has provided evidence of its efficacy. Phages are typically very selective to their host but have been known to infect close relatives of their target. The specificity of the phage’s host range comes from the composition of its tail fiber protein(s) that are used to adsorb to a potential host [3]. A phage’s unique host range, as well as the factors contributing to that host range, must be taken into consideration if phage therapy is to be utilized.