Date of Submission

Spring 2017

Academic Programs and Concentrations

Biology

Project Advisor 1

Brooke Jude

Abstract/Artist's Statement

Cholera is a treatable disease, yet it has a mortality rate of more than 50% when not properly treated. Complications of poverty in cholera endemic regions make access to potable water and adequate sanitation and healthcare systems difficult. Prevention of V. cholerae growth in cooked rice using lime juice is accessible and affordable can be combined with other preventative measures to reduce cholera related deaths in impoverished regions. To identify the concentration of lime juice necessary for the inhibition of V. cholerae growth in cooked rice, increasing concentrations of lime juice were added to aliquots of 1g of cooked rice, which is equivalent to the juice from standard lime sections per serving of rice. The cooked, inoculated rice was incubated as if in a kitchen, at 25 °C over three hours. V. cholerae numbers were calculated for treated and untreated rice. Treatment did not make V. cholerae resistant to acid. These results suggest that adding the juice from at least 3/4 of a lime in cooked rice can be used to prevent cholera infection. We are still unsure of whether the observed reduction and inhibition of bacterial growth was due to the low pH of the lime juice or the anti-quorum sensing properties of molecules naturally found in citrus plants. Future studies should focus on discovering the method in which lime juice affects V. cholerae growth.

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On-Campus only

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