Overview
We utilize Mannitol salt agar (MSA), colistin-nalidixic acid blood agar (CNA), DNase, coagulase, catalase, and Gram stain tests to test for the presence of Staphylococcus aureus in samples obtained from the anterior nares of consenting adults. All S. aureus isolates undergo further characterization for methicillin resistance (MRSA) via Kirby-Bauer assay, and production of the following proteins involved in pathogenesis: alpha toxin (hemolysin), TSST-1, SEA, SEB, and SEC (superantigens). In order to understand the genetic distribution of these toxins the prevalence of the associated genes is also analyzed via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or whole genome sequencing (WGS).
Swabs Collected
Undergraduate Student Researchers
Poster Presentions
Meet Our Alumni
Meet Our Faculty
Amanda Brosnahan, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Health and Science and Associate Professor of Biology



