Anna Fakhri ’24
The Discovery and Analysis of Mycobacteriophage “Rita”
Anna Fakhri ’24, Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kathleen Cornely, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Mycobacteriophage “Rita” was isolated on Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155 from an enriched soil sample from North Easton, Massachusetts. As Rita infects Mycobacterium smegmatis, further study of the phage was completed in order to determine its ability to be utilized in phage therapy for infections caused by pathogenic Mycobacterium, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium abscessus. Once isolated, the phage DNA was analyzed through PCR to determine the phage belonged to cluster F and subcluster F1. The phage DNA was sequenced, and a genome annotation was completed. The annotation utilized bioinformatics software including DNA Master, Phamerator, and PECAAN. Mycobacteriophage “Rita” was discovered to contain 3 orphams and MPME.
Poster Presentation: Wednesday, April 27, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
