Ryan Skelly

Student

Ryan Skelly

Files

Cohort

2017-2018

Biography

I was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida to a blue-collar family. I have two brothers, one older, one younger. Growing up I was constantly playing baseball and football. In high school, I wasn’t much of a scholar so once I graduated I moved out and worked a blue-collar job for a year. After twelve months of hard work, I realized that the blue-collar workforce wasn’t for me and decided to back to school. At Saint Johns River State college, I focused on my coursework and started to become the scholar I am today.

Faculty Mentor

Amy Cole Ph.D., Research Associate Professor

Undergraduate Major

Biomedical Sciences

Future Plans

M.D.-Ph.D. or M.D.

Research

Title: Nasal Microbiome Analysis in Macaca nemestrina Reveals Potential Competitors of Staphylococcus aureus. Advisor: Dr. Amy Cole Institution: University of Central Florida Abstract: Staphylococcus aureus(SA) is a bacterial species that has the ability to turn a routine surgical procedure into a life-threatening infection. The lethal characteristics of SA are highlighted by its ability to resist methicillin antibiotics, while remaining benign in the nostrils of 20% of the population. It has been documented that SA nasal carriage relies on the presence of certain commensal bacteria that cohabitate the nasal vestibule. Using the macaque as a model for the human nasal carriage of SA, we have discovered that Corynebacterium and Bacillus species displace SA when our subjects are treated with mupirocin antibiotics. After week one (post mupirocin), only fifty percent of the nasal population was colonized by Staphylococcal species. The remaining half mostly contained Bacillus (23.33%) and Cornynebacterium (20.00%). Whereas, week three (post mupirocin), almost ninety percent of the nasal vestibule was colonized with Staphylococcal species; Most of which were S. epidermidis (29.17%) and S.hominis (20.83%). However, our previous data is based on culturable methods that we believe aren’t telling us the entire story. With the use of Illumina and Pacific Bioscience next generation sequencing platforms, we plan to further correlate which species of bacteria inhibit SA colonization as well as which species facilitate its colonization. In its entirety, this study will provide a detailed analysis of the nasal vestibule microbiome and how different inhabitants interact with SA. Finally, with more data, we will empirically determine which microorganisms aren’t as transparent as those found using culturable methods.

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

Ryan Skelly


COinS