The Mississippi Wolbachia Rodeo hosted by LoydStar

Nov. 30, 2012 - The  Wolbachia Rodeo, a biotech competition for high school students, was hosted by LoydStar Attendance Center.  Twenty-one students from six different schools (Bogue Chitto, Enterprise, Loyd Star, West Lincoln, St.Andrew's and Cathedral) joined forces in search of a parasitic bacteria found in over 20% of insects.in Mississippi. With the help of equipment from the PRINCETON satellite, students used Primers from the MBL at Woods Hole, MA, to flank their target sequences in insects and bacteria.

 

To identify infected insects, students extracted and purified insect DNA. Using a thermal cycler, the target sequence was amplified. PCR products were loaded on 2% SYBR safe Egels for electrophoresis. Egels and PCR tubes were provided by UMMC's Base Pair program.The three steps of PCR: Denature, Anneal and Extension.   Guest speakers were DrTylerHodges from William Carey University, DrLisaKemp from the Mississippi Polymer Institute, and DrJeffreyBrown, State Medical Entomologist. Students tested fleas, bedbugs, mosquitoes and other insects. Wolbachia was detected in bedbugs, fleas and one mosquito.

Student teams and gels are below:

 

 

Loyd Star 

 

Enterprise / West Lincoln

 

 

Gel 1

Loyd Star & Enterprise/West Lincoln

 

                                    

Natchez Cathedral

 





Gel 2

Natchez Cathedral

 



St. Andrew's Episcopal School

 

 

Bogue Chitto

 

Gel 3

St. Andrew's & Bogue Chitto