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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Microbial Ecology Of South Florida Surface Waters: Examining The Potential For Anthropogenic Influences, Chase P. Donnelly
Microbial Ecology Of South Florida Surface Waters: Examining The Potential For Anthropogenic Influences, Chase P. Donnelly
HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
South Florida contains one of the largest subtropical wetlands in the world, and yet not much is known about the microbes that live in these surface waters. These microbes play an important role in chemical cycling and maintaining good water quality for both human and ecosystem health. The hydrology of Florida’s surface waters is tightly regulated with the use of canal and levee systems run by the US Army Corps of Engineers and The South Florida Water Management District. These canals run through the Everglades, agriculture, and urban environments to control water levels in Lake Okeechobee, the Water Conservation Areas, …
Cultivating Ecosystems: Microbial Communities In Recirculating Aquaculture Systems, Ryan Bartelme
Cultivating Ecosystems: Microbial Communities In Recirculating Aquaculture Systems, Ryan Bartelme
Theses and Dissertations
Intensive cultivation of fish is necessary to meet future global market demands. Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) enable dense growth of fish, while occupying less space than traditional aquaculture farms. However, RAS often experience complications and high fish mortalities due to disease and improper waste management. In properly functioning systems, the microorganisms associated with fish (gut, scales) as well as those found in the system environment (water, component surfaces) remove waste and maintain fish health by discouraging growth of opportunistic pathogens. Previous RAS microbiome studies are small in scope, utilize coarse methods, and contain limited long-term spatial or temporal data. With …
Evolution Of Bordetella Pertussis Genome May Play A Role In The Increased Rate Of Whooping Cough Cases In The United States, Kevin Loftus
Evolution Of Bordetella Pertussis Genome May Play A Role In The Increased Rate Of Whooping Cough Cases In The United States, Kevin Loftus
Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019
Bordetella pertussis is the bacterium responsible for pertussis, a disease commonly referred to as whooping cough. Recently, pertussis has made a resurgence in the U.S. despite high-vaccination coverage. Possible causes of the increased number of pertussis cases include genetic evolution of B. pertussis, increased awareness of the disease, better laboratory diagnostics, and the switch from a whole-cellular (wP) vaccine to an acellular vaccine (aP) in the 1990s. Fortunately, just as B. pertussis is evolving, so is the arsenal of technologies used to understand and combat this pathogenic bacterium. Whole genome sequencing is one technology that helps researchers better understand …
A Cure For Salmonella: Engaging Students In Pathogen Microbiology And Bioinformatics, Sophie Jurgensen
A Cure For Salmonella: Engaging Students In Pathogen Microbiology And Bioinformatics, Sophie Jurgensen
Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019
Advances in Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology have generated a vast amount of publicly available genomic data, creating a need for students with training in computational analysis. This laboratory lesson is a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) focusing on environmental Salmonella, a common foodborne pathogen that is of great interest to public health laboratories but is relatively less virulent than most other such pathogens. As discovery is a central tenet of CUREs, students isolate novel Salmonella enterica and related strains from stream sediment, poultry litter, or other sources in the first half of the lesson (Module 1). They also …
An Interdisciplinary Approach To The Target Elucidation Of Novel Antibiotic 31g12, Larissa A. Walker
An Interdisciplinary Approach To The Target Elucidation Of Novel Antibiotic 31g12, Larissa A. Walker
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive bacterial pathogen responsible for nosocomial and community-acquired infections that can quickly acquire antibiotic resistance. We have identified a novel triazole antimicrobial 31G12 based on the natural product core of nonactin isolated from the fermentation of Streptomyces griseus, that is active against many Gram-positive bacteria as well as antibiotic resistant methicillin-resistant S. aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus. The synthesis and characterization indicate that 31G12 exists as a mixture of two rotamers at room temperature and displays bacteriostatic activity against S. aureus with moderate mammalian cell toxicity. We have currently identified potential protein targets of 31G12 in …