From Bacteria to Boreal Toads: what can symbiotic bacteria tell us about disease tolerance? - Abigail Kimball
I am an undergraduate student in Dr. Valerie McKenzie’s laboratory studying amphibian skin microbiomes and the emerging amphibian infectious disease Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Specifically, my research aims to observe the shift in bacterial species composition from early egg stages throughout the process of metamorphosis. This summer I preformed field work sampling the last surviving populations of the native boreal toad (Anaxyrus boreas boreas), a species that has been severely impacted by lethal Bd infections (picture 1). I have also worked in the laboratory preforming PCR tests to determine the presence of Bd at various sites in Colorado. I have plated and isolated bacterial species found in the field to determine their antagonistic activity against the pathogenic fungus (picture 2). Now, I am analyzing sequencing data to determine the potential roles of symbiotic microbes in acting as a surrogate immune system for larval amphibians against Bd infection.
I am also extremely passionate about science outreach, art, and communication, check out my blog at: and my website for more information.
