Other Microbiology Commons^™

Determining The Effects Of Maternal Adiposity On Preterm Neonatal Microbiome And Short Chain Fatty Acid Profiles, Dalton James, William A. Clark Phd, Kristy L. Thomas

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The gut microbiota and its metabolites have vast impacts on the human digestive system, immune system, and health outcomes. Short chain volatile fatty acids (SCVFAs) present in feces can be representative of the interactions of the microbiota present in the gut. Low microbiota diversity in the human gut is highly associated with obesity and adverse health outcomes. Furthermore, the maternal microbiome has a direct impact on neonatal microbiota through various pathways such as environment, skin flora, breast milk composition, and vaginal secretions. This study is aimed to further understand the associations between various factors (maternal adiposity, gestational time, length of …

The Stringent Response In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Influences The Phenotypes Controlled By The Gac/Rsm System, Michael Shawn Hooker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a ubiquitous, opportunistic pathogen that causes acute and chronic infections. Infection is typically initiated via motile and virulent strains. After exposure to stressors, acute infections make both genotypic and phenotypic switches to a chronic, sessile strain. This is due to intricate regulatory networks directing gene expression in response to stressors. One network, GacA/GacS, has been established to control virulence factors. The stringent response of bacteria is mediated by alarmones produced primarily by RelA which responds to starvation.

To study the effect of the stringent response on the virulence switch. A series of experiments were run in both …