Date of Award

5-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

<-- Please Select One -->

Department

Biological Science

First Advisor

Dr. Indiren Pillay

Second Advisor

Dr. Christine Mutiti

Third Advisor

Dr. Arnab Sengupta

Abstract

Bacteriophages are viruses that infect a diverse range of bacteria, with certain strains serving medical and industrial significance. Actinobacteriophages are viruses that specifically infect Phylum Actinobacteria hosts including the environmentally abundant Gordonia terrae. Some species of Gordonia, including G. terrae, have also been isolated from human infections. The isolation and characterization of novel phages that can infect Gordonia can therefore be significant to both genomics and potential phage therapy. Actinobacteriophages that infect these bacteria have been isolated from soil environments, but optimal environmental parameters for isolation have not been fully evaluated. This study examined the relationships between environmental parameters and phage abundance in a sampled ecosystem. Monthly soil samples were collected from different regions in central Georgia to isolate novel Gordonia phages and to determine if environmental conditions, including soil chemistry, affect phage distribution and diversity. Isolation success from different environments was determined by presence of phage in G. terrae enriched samples. Phage isolation was successful only at the Turner Creek Boat Ramp site in Savannah, GA, where chlorine was consistently detected throughout the year. Concentrations below 0.2% failed to produce any phage, suggesting a potential threshold effect. A significant relationship was observed between the concentrations of chlorine, aluminum, potassium, silicon, the temperature, and phage presence/absence. Organic matter levels did not exhibit a significant relationship with phage presence. Because of the correlations between the environmental parameters, this highlights the importance of understanding how environmental factors influence phage dynamics.

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