TY - JOUR AU - Nedzesky, Nicholas AU - Matela , Abigail AU - Lavelle , Thomas AU - Carson, Brian PY - 2021/11/30 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - The Effects of Glycerol on Biofilm Production JF - Journal of Student Research JA - J Stud Res VL - 10 IS - 4 SE - DO - 10.47611/jsrhs.v10i4.1843 UR - https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1843 SP - AB - <p>Due to the widespread, antibiotic-resistant nature of biofilm-producing bacteria, there is high demand for research on biofilm formation.&nbsp; This research serves as a contribution to the existing knowledge of how biofilms form.&nbsp; Its results could shed light on how biofilm-producing bacteria utilize communication pathways in response to environmental and chemical stimuli.&nbsp; To determine the effects of glycerol (a sugar alcohol linked to osmotic stress) on biofilm production, <em>Pseudomonas fluorescens</em> strain SBW25 was cultivated within a series of 5 culture tubes containing medias with increasing concentrations of glycerol from 0-10%.&nbsp; After a week of incubation, a sample from each of the tubes was plated and colony morphology was qualitatively analyzed.&nbsp; Each of the tubes was then stained with crystal violet and the absorbance of the biofilm could be quantitatively measured at 590nm with a dual-beam spectrophotometer.&nbsp; The hypothesis is supported with the absorbance and plate data collected over the first and second trials of the experiment.&nbsp; As glycerol concentration increased, the absorbance (and thus biofilm produced) increased proportionately, and the approximate number of wrinkly mutants on each successive plate increased.&nbsp; The correlation of the data is significant enough to support the hypothesis, but more trials will need to be conducted in order to conclusively accept it.&nbsp;</p> ER -