Level of Education of Students Involved

Undergraduate

Faculty Sponsor

Danielle Nunnelly

College

College of Arts & Sciences (CAS)

Discipline(s)

Biology

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Symposium Date

Spring 4-30-2026

Abstract

Abstract: According to the W.H.O. (2024 data), infectious diseases account for three of the top ten global causes of death. Antimicrobial drug discovery surged in the mid-twentieth century but has sharply declined in recent years. At the same time, antimicrobial-resistant “superbug” infections are on the rise. Plants produce a robust array of novel metabolic compounds including many antimicrobial agents. However, with the advent of modern antibiotic drugs, natural plant-derived antibiotic sources have largely been left unexplored. Therefore, our work focuses on screening medicinal plants in hopes of discovering novel antimicrobial drugs. To accomplish this, we have been testing extracts of plants found in the Valparaiso University medicinal garden for their effects against 12 microorganisms, both fungal and bacterial, of interest. To date, methanolic extracts of aerial, reproductive, and root portions of more than 20 unique plants have been screened, with five plants recently showing promising activity against Gram-positive bacteria, including basil, lemon thyme, rosemary, wild bergamot and winter savory. Kirby-Bauer antimicrobial susceptibility results of the most active plant extracts are presented herein. Rosemary, Salvia rosmarinus, was found to be especially potent, and analytical chemistry work has begun to separate and identify the active medical components. These data highlight the importance of plants as an invaluable pharmaceutical resource at a time when antimicrobial drug discovery has plateaued.

Biographical Information about Author(s)

My name is Gracie Holt, and I am a biology/chemistry major, I plan to use my degree for law school. My name is Hannah Gabriel, and I am a biology major hoping to attend dental school. My name is Megan Wolf, I am a biology and environmental science major. After graduation, I will be working on wetland delineations, and ecological restoration projects along with growing my small organic produce business. 

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