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Staph Study

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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).

1631

Swabs Collected

88

Undergraduate Student Researchers

107

Poster Presentions

Meet Our Alumni

Mumina Mohamud

Community Liaison at U.S. House of Representatives

2

Semesters on Staph Study

Don't You Know That You're Toxic?

The excitatory effects of superantigens in Staphylococcus aureus on the immune system…

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Skye Martin

4

Semesters of Research

The EGC and other MGEs affect superantigen prevalence

Staphylococcus aureus infection severity is often correlated to the specific superantigens being produced. In this study we examined the correlation between …

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Jeenue Vang

Pursuing a PharmD at the University of Minnesota, Duluth

2

Semesters on Staph Study

Characterization of Nasal Isolates ...

Research students from the Concordia University, St. Paul Science Department have collected over 1,000 nasal swabs over the past 5 years in an attempt to characterize nasal isolates of Staphylococcus aureus …

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Meet Our Faculty

Taylor Mach, Ph.D.

Taylor Mach, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Chemistry, Science Department Chair

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Amanda Brosnahan, Ph.D.

Amanda Brosnahan, Ph.D.

Dean, College of Health and Science and Professor of Biology

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Staph Study at the MN State Fair

Collecting swabs in the Driven to Discover Building