Abstract:
To me science, as a concept, has always been the never-ending search for the "why" and "how"
different elements around us do what they do. This concept appeals to highly detailed and
inquisitive people that are not content to leave things as they are but want to search further for
explanations. In a medical clinic these questions have paramount importance as their answers can
have serious impact on the health and life of a patient seeking care. Medical practitioners need to
understand what they are dealing with down to the microscopic level to give the best and most
appropriate care possible to each patient. This, however, is a daunting task, especially with new
research leading to new discoveries every day. Early in the new century a sample of microbes
from the genus Peptostreptococcus was discovered to be two different species from the genus
rather than the singular species the sample was originally believed to be. Consistent
differentiation proved to be difficult between the two species as they were hard to culture, or
grow in a lab, even though they are implicated in certain diseases. Our goal for this research was
to design primers that could be used to easily identify, on a genetic level, an unknown microbe of
Peptostreptococcus to allow for more precise treatment of a disease or infection. These primers
would consist of complimentary genetic code for target gene sequences in the bacteria combined
with SYBR green for fluorescence. If the primers anneal to the target sequences appropriately
during polymerase chain reaction (PCR), then the fluorescence would be the indicator of the
target gene's presence.
