Project:

Isolation and Characterization of Gut Microbiome Bacteria from Mouse Cecum to Investigate Malaria Susceptibility

Students:

Harrison Lee, Daquavia Brown, Bhavya Thakur

Institution:

Hunter College,

Mentors:

Rabindra Mandal

Abstract:

Malaria, which is caused by the plasmodium parasite and is transmitted through female anopheles mosquitoes, remains a major global health concern — especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. Emerging evidence suggests that the gut microbiome plays an important role in shaping host immune responses and susceptibility to malaria, yet the influence of which specific gut bacteria isn’t fully known. The project aims to isolate and characterize gut microbiome bacteria from the mouse cecum to establish a foundation for investigating their role in malaria susceptibility. Cecal samples will be collected under sterile conditions, serially diluted, and cultured on Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) media to support the growth of diverse gut bacteria. Individual colonies will be isolated and identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Bacterial diversity and relative abundance will be analyzed using colony appearance and sequence-based classification. This work will provide insight into gut microbial compositio

Poster: