Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Biology Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Biology

Characterization Of Plasmids Harbored By Vibrio Cholerae Isolates Endemic To The Rio Grande Delta, Viviana Trevino Dec 2019

Characterization Of Plasmids Harbored By Vibrio Cholerae Isolates Endemic To The Rio Grande Delta, Viviana Trevino

Theses and Dissertations

Cholera is a diarrheal disease responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality globally. Epidemics along the Rio Grande Delta were reported during the 1850s, and the etiological agent Vibrio cholerae, remains endemic, thus presenting a unique opportunity for a study of historical and biological relevance. V. cholerae strains were isolated from two locations: the Rio Grande River under a bridge linking Brownsville to Matamoros (site 21) and where the river empties into the Gulf of Mexico (site 42). Two strains from site 21, and one from site 42 were selected to isolate, subclone, sequence, assemble and annotate extra-chromosomal elements. Results …


Temperature Influence On Insecticide Resistance In Aedes Aegypti And Aedes Albopictus Mosquitoes From South Texas, Wendy Soledad Salinas Aug 2019

Temperature Influence On Insecticide Resistance In Aedes Aegypti And Aedes Albopictus Mosquitoes From South Texas, Wendy Soledad Salinas

Theses and Dissertations

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are vectors for several emerging arboviruses including Zika, chikungunya and dengue. Both mosquitoes are found along the Rio Grande River in South Texas, along the border between Mexico and the United States of America. These mosquito species typically reside near human settlements. A preventative measure public health official use to help halt the spread of diseases is by controlling vector population with the use of insecticides, but as temperature vary, and with the constant exposure to commonly used insecticides, mosquitoes from South Texas may be developing a resistance to the insecticides. Resistance to insecticides may …


Rapid Identification Of Phospholipase A2 Transcripts From Snake Venoms, Ying Jia, Pablo Olvera, Frida Rangel, Bianca Mendez, Samir Reddy Jan 2019

Rapid Identification Of Phospholipase A2 Transcripts From Snake Venoms, Ying Jia, Pablo Olvera, Frida Rangel, Bianca Mendez, Samir Reddy

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) is a major component in snake venoms and it is found in many different isoforms. To identify transcripts encoding different PLA2 isoforms, we developed a simple, rapid procedure. Total RNA was extracted from the venoms of three cottonmouth snakes and two diamondback rattlesnakes, and further reverse-transcribed into complementary DNA (cDNA). Using one pair of cottonmouth PLA2-specific primers and Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) technique, we identified 27 unique full-length PLA2 transcripts, including nine sequences identical to the previously documented ones in the database and one novel GIII-like PLA2 …