05/29/2026
As antibiotic resistance is an ongoing public health concern, methods to slow its spread are being investigated. One potential strategy being investigated is the use of supplemental zinc; however, findings to date have been inconsistent. Sarah Gardener’s project investigated the effect of zinc form and concentration on antibiotic resistance plasmid transfer in E. coli. Overall, Gardener found that with increasing zinc concentration, there is a decrease in the transfer rate of antibiotic resistance genes. Great work, Sarah!🔥