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Full-Text Articles in Pathogenic Microbiology
Impacts Of Bacterial Evolution On Host Lethality In Drosophila, Andrew Preston
Impacts Of Bacterial Evolution On Host Lethality In Drosophila, Andrew Preston
College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses
Evolution is the process by which species change their genetic traits, such as the pathogenicity of bacteria, over time in response to changes in their environment. Although the genetic mechanisms underlying many evolutionary processes have been revealed, it is still not well understood how opportunistic pathogens, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, become virulent. The overall goal of this thesis is to test the Coincidental Evolution Hypothesis, which proposes that the virulence of opportunistic pathogens evolves coincidentally as a by-product of their interaction with their natural predators. I hypothesized that the virulence of ancestral Pseudomonas aeruginosa changes over time if it co-evolves …
Genetic Diversity, Population Structure, And Evolution Of Virulence In Toxoplasma Gondii, Elliot Keats Cullen Shwab
Genetic Diversity, Population Structure, And Evolution Of Virulence In Toxoplasma Gondii, Elliot Keats Cullen Shwab
Doctoral Dissertations
Toxoplasma gondii is among the most widespread eukaryotic pathogens known. It chronically infects approximately one third of the world’s human population and has been isolated from an extremely diverse array of globally distributed mammals and birds. Understanding the structure of the worldwide T. gondii population enhances our understanding of the factors that have shaped that structure and led to the proliferation of one of the most evolutionarily successful pathogens on Earth. Herein we collate genotypic data from global isolates, demonstrating that T. gondii possesses a unique population structure in which only a small number of genotypes dominate throughout the northern …
An Essay On Evolution: Evolution And The Origin Of Life Are Separate And Distinct Concepts, Kenneth Nickerson
An Essay On Evolution: Evolution And The Origin Of Life Are Separate And Distinct Concepts, Kenneth Nickerson
Kenneth Nickerson Papers
Two years ago on a Saturday morning, I was asked quite pointedly by two friends how I could be both spiritual and a scientist. My questioning friends felt that these qualities were incompatible. It turned out their church taught that scientists were ‘the enemy’ because scientists believe in evolution. Since that time, Letters to the Editor regarding evolution have attracted my attention. Many of the published letters stated that the author did not believe in evolution, and argued in support of his/her position that God had created life. The authors thoroughly confuse two concepts which are separate and distinct: Evolution …
The Evolution Of Reduced Microbial Killing, Jan A.C. Vriezen Dr., Michael Valliere, Margaret A. Riley Dr.
The Evolution Of Reduced Microbial Killing, Jan A.C. Vriezen Dr., Michael Valliere, Margaret A. Riley Dr.
Jan A.C. Vriezen Dr.
Bacteria engage in a never-ending arms race in which they compete for limited resources and niche space. The outcome of this intense interaction is the evolution of a powerful arsenal of biological weapons. Perhaps the most studied of these are colicins, plasmid-based toxins produced by and active against Escherichia coli. The present study was designed to explore the molecular responses of a colicin-producing strain during serial transfer evolution. What evolutionary changes occur when colicins are produced with no target present? Can killing ability be maintained in the absence of a target? To address these, and other, questions, colicinogenic strains and …