Dataset Information

Teaching Aspects of Antibiotics and Antimicrobials to the Food Science Student through a Combination Wet Lab and In Silico Activity.

ABSTRACT: To prevent the growth of food pathogens and food spoilage organisms, antimicrobials are used to disinfect surfaces or are added to food. In light of the important role that antibiotics and antimicrobials play in food safety, food science students need a deep understanding of how these chemicals function. We describe here a combined wet lab and in silico laboratory experience designed to help students visualize two biochemical concepts explaining antibiotic activity: (i) bacteriolytic versus bacteriostatic activity and (ii) competitive versus noncompetitive inhibition. This laboratory experience was implemented for students enrolled in the Introduction to Food Science course in Family and Consumer Sciences at North Carolina A&T State University.

SUBMITTER: Zimmerman T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8441997 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Teaching Aspects of Antibiotics and Antimicrobials to the Food Science Student through a Combination Wet Lab and <i>In Silico</i> Activity.

Zimmerman Tahl T Ibrahim Mariama M Ibrahim Salam A SA

Journal of microbiology & biology education 20210630 2

To prevent the growth of food pathogens and food spoilage organisms, antimicrobials are used to disinfect surfaces or are added to food. In light of the important role that antibiotics and antimicrobials play in food safety, food science students need a deep understanding of how these chemicals function. We describe here a combined wet lab and <i>in silico</i> laboratory experience designed to help students visualize two biochemical concepts explaining antibiotic activity: (i) bacteriolytic vers ...[more]

PMID: 34594435

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Project description:BackgroundThe search for diagnostic biomarkers has been profiting from a growing number of high quality sequenced genomes and freely available bioinformatic tools. These can be combined with wet lab experiments for a rational search. Improved, point-of-care diagnostic tests for visceral leishmaniasis (VL), early case detection and surveillance are required. Previous investigations demonstrated the potential of IgG1 as a biomarker for monitoring clinical status in rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), although using a crude lysate antigen (CLA) as capturing antigen. Replacing the CLA by specific antigens would lead to more robust RDTs.MethodologyImmunoblots revealed L. donovani protein bands detected by IgG1 from VL patients. Upon confident identification of these antigens by mass spectrometry (MS), we searched for evidence of constitutive protein expression and presence of antigenic domains or high accessibility to B-cells. Selected candidates had their linear epitopes mapped with in silico algorithms. Multiple high-scoring predicted epitopes from the shortlisted proteins were screened in peptide arrays. The most promising candidate was tested in RDT prototypes using VL and nonendemic healthy control (NEHC) patient sera.ResultsOver 90% of the proteins identified from the immunoblots did not satisfy the selection criteria and were excluded from the downstream epitope mapping. Screening of predicted epitope peptides from the shortlisted proteins identified the most reactive, for which the sensitivity for IgG1 was 84% (95% CI 60-97%) with Sudanese VL sera on RDT prototypes. None of the sera from NEHCs were positive.ConclusionWe employed in silico searches to reduce drastically the output of wet lab experiments, focusing on promising candidates containing selected protein features. By predicting epitopes in silico we screened a large number of peptides using arrays, identifying the most promising one, for which IgG1 sensitivity and specificity, with limited sample size, supported this proof of concept strategy for diagnostics discovery, which can be applied to the development of more robust IgG1 RDTs for monitoring clinical status in VL.

Project description:IntroductionOnce considered a supplement to traditional teaching approaches, digital tools now play a pivotal role in building core clinical competencies. This study aims to explore staff and student experiences of navigating the challenges of teaching and assessing clinical skills using digital technology. It also aims to provide insight into what skills, or aspects of skills, may be best suited to digitally enhanced teaching, thereby advancing the future of health science education.MethodsThis qualitative study comprises the second phase of data generation for a mixed-methods research project entitled DEPTH (Digitally Enhanced Practical Teaching in Health Science). Health science staff and students expressed interest in taking part in the current study during the first stage of data collection. Qualitative data was collected in January 2022 through semi-structured group interviews and individual semi-structured interviews. An interpretivist qualitative research design underpinned by a critical realist epistemological position was used. Themes were generated following Braun and Clarke's 6-step process for reflexive thematic analysis.ResultsOverall, 10 staff and 8 students across 11 health science disciplines participated in this research. Fourteen hours of transcripts were analysed and 4 themes generated. Our findings highlight the suitability of digitally enhanced teaching for low-stake skills requiring visual and auditory training, while skills requiring tactile training require in-person practice to build student competency. Importantly, our findings indicate a desire for increased remote teaching. While our work was not specifically aimed at documenting experiences related to the Covid-19 pandemic, all participants had lived experience teaching or learning during the pandemic and many spoke specifically about this.ConclusionsThe timing of this paper captures a novel moment in the history of clinical pedagogy. Staff and students advocate for the continued integration of technology into health science education generally, and clinical skills teaching specifically. For this to be successful, judicious selection of methods, skills, skill components and technology, that can be appropriately mapped onto specific learning outcomes, is required.

Dataset Information

Teaching Aspects of Antibiotics and Antimicrobials to the Food Science Student through a Combination Wet Lab and In Silico Activity.

Publications

Teaching Aspects of Antibiotics and Antimicrobials to the Food Science Student through a Combination Wet Lab and <i>In Silico</i> Activity.

Similar Datasets

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