Student Presenter(s): Sultan Mirza, Ameer Menwer, Gina Nagib, and Catherine Istafanos
Faculty Mentor: Bryan Gibb
School/College: Arts and Sciences, Old Westbury

Phage therapy is a promising approach to treating bacterial infections that involves the use of bacteriophages, which are bacterial viruses that can infect and kill bacteria. Klebsiella pneumoniae is an opportunistic bacterial pathogen that is usually non-fatal, but this bacterium readily acquires antibiotic resistance genes, making it a growing public health threat. To better understand the characteristics of these phages, researchers have isolated two samples of sewage water collected from the NYIT wastewater treatment facility called Century Club and Twin Flame. Century Club infected just the isolated host, while Twin Flame was able to infect three additional strains of K. pneumoniae, suggesting a broader host range. Genome sequencing of both phages is currently underway to further reveal their characteristics and help determine if either phage harbors therapeutic potential.