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- Listeria monocytogenes (2)
- Metabolism (2)
- MsaABCR (2)
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- 4-Nitroquiniline-1-oxide (4-NQO) (1)
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- Aeromonas salmonicida (1)
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- Cyclic-di-GMP (1)
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- Histoplasma capsulatum (1)
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Articles 1 - 13 of 13
Full-Text Articles in Pathogenic Microbiology
The Effect Of Different Types Of Plastic And Rubbers Often Found In Healthcare Facilities On The Survival Of Potentially Pathogenic Bacteria, Ashely George
Honors Theses
This study focused on the survival of different species of bacteria on different types of plastics and rubbers found in healthcare facilities. The gram-positive coccus Staphylococcus aureus and the gram negative bacillus Escherichia coli, known to have importance as potential pathogens in healthcare facilities, were tested on two types of plastic (polyurethane and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)) and two types of rubbers (latex and nitrile) typically found on reusable healthcare surfaces. Known quantities of bacteria were aseptically placed on disinfected plastic surfaces in triplicate, air-dried, and then incubated at room temperature for 30 minutes, 20 hours, and 40 hours. After incubation, …
Syndemics And Social Factors: Infectious Disease Patterns Within The Population Of People Experiencing Homelessness In The United States, Kathleen Berzonsky
Syndemics And Social Factors: Infectious Disease Patterns Within The Population Of People Experiencing Homelessness In The United States, Kathleen Berzonsky
Honors Theses
Individuals experiencing homelessness are at increased risk of suffering from infectious diseases. This is due to a number of social factors and healthcare disparities, as well as the idea of syndemics, by which diseases cluster together to worsen disease burden. Current intervention strategies approach treatment from a post-infection perspective, but reducing transmission rates of infectious diseases within the population of people experiencing homelessness will require a shift in the healthcare framework. The issue of people experiencing homelessness must be viewed through a biosocial lens, focusing on preventative care and treatment. I provide an overview of the social factors governing infectious …
Invasion Properties Of Listeria Monocytogenes In Aged Cells, Mina Lane Chasteen Burton
Invasion Properties Of Listeria Monocytogenes In Aged Cells, Mina Lane Chasteen Burton
Honors Theses
Listeriosis is a bacterial infection caused by the gram-positive pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. When compared to other foodborne illnesses, listeriosis has a higher death rate due to an increased incidence of complications such as meningitis, hydrocephalus, and sepsis in immunocompromised populations. Elderly individuals experience a condition known as immunosenescence, which is a gradual compromisation of the immune system brought on by natural aging. Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a rare genetic disorder causing premature aging, which allows HGPS cell lines to be used as models to further research in the field of biogerontology. This study utilizes the F2365 strain of …
The Role Of A-Layer In Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (Pufa)-Mediated Effects On Aeromonas Salmonicida Subsp. Salmonicida, Allen Lin
Honors Theses
Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida is a Gram-negative bacterium that infects salmonids and non-salmonids worldwide leading to an infection known as furunculosis, which is characterized by skin lesions and hemorrhages of the fish epidermis. This infection is carried out by a A+ (virulent strain) of A. salmonicida containing an important virulent factor known as the A-layer, which is a 2D paracrystalline structure that binds to the basement membrane and functions to promote adherence to host membranes and resistance to host defense. The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of the A+ A. salmonicida to incorporate exogenous fatty acids …
Diagnostic Approaches To Combat Antibiotic Resistance In Bacteria, Alexander Oliveri, Shade Smith, Anshul Anugu
Diagnostic Approaches To Combat Antibiotic Resistance In Bacteria, Alexander Oliveri, Shade Smith, Anshul Anugu
Honors Theses
The threat of antibiotic resistance is a major problem faced by the healthcare field affecting millions of people and costing tens of thousands of lives annually. Of the potential ways to mitigate this issue the field of antibiotic resistance testing presents an opportunity for significant improvement and benefits. Several methods of such diagnostic processes can yield more informative results than the current commonly used Kirby-Bauer test. However, there are benefits and limitations to each method. In the context of a clinically relevant diagnostic for antibiotic resistance, the microarray platform exhibits the necessary breadth with opportunities to overcome some limitations with …
Interregulation Between Msaabcr Operon And Ccpe To Determine Staphylococcal Metabolism And Virulence, Erin R. Cox
Interregulation Between Msaabcr Operon And Ccpe To Determine Staphylococcal Metabolism And Virulence, Erin R. Cox
Honors Theses
Staphylococcus aureus is a complex human pathogen that causes problems in both healthcare and community settings. Staphylococcus aureus is a gram-positive, sphere shaped bacterium that usually colonizes in the nasal cavity of healthy individuals. Staphylococcus aureus infections are a growing health concern due to its ability to produce virulence factors, such as pigmentation, protease production, and capsule formation. Two regulators in S. aureus virulence factors are msaABCR, which is a newly characterized operon, and ccpE. In order to determine the interaction between these two regulators in regulating virulence and metabolism in S. aureus, ccpE and ccpE/ …
Study Of The Role Of The Msaabcr Operon In Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle Activity And Persister Cell Formation In Staphylococcus Aureus, Karsen Motter
Study Of The Role Of The Msaabcr Operon In Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle Activity And Persister Cell Formation In Staphylococcus Aureus, Karsen Motter
Honors Theses
Staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen that causes wide arrays of infections ranging from minor skin infections to lethal systemic conditions such as infective endocarditis, osteomyelitis, sepsis and pneumonia. These systemic diseases are often difficult to treat due to the presence of persister cells. Persister cells are a phenotypic variant of the bacterial population that exhibit extreme and transient antibiotic tolerance accompanied by a transient halt in growth. Upon cessation of antibiotic treatment, however, persisters resume growth which results in recurrence of infections. This characteristic of persister cells therefore displays high clinical significance. In this study, we show the …
Phenotypic Characterizations Of Msaabcr Operon Deletion In Staphylococcus Epidermidis Rp62a, Raelyn Williams
Phenotypic Characterizations Of Msaabcr Operon Deletion In Staphylococcus Epidermidis Rp62a, Raelyn Williams
Honors Theses
Staphylococcus epidermidis is a human pathogen that is increasingly known for its role in hospital infections associated with implantable medical devices. Antibiotic resistance has become a concerning issue for these infections as this bacteria have various virulence traits that help to evade immune response and antibiotic treatment. Currently, the most effective way to treat S. epidermidis infection is removal of the implant and long-term antibiotic treatment. S. epidermidis causes infection by expressing several protein factors that induce biofilm formation, the bacteria’s primary virulence mechanism. The purpose of this study was to perform the phenotypic characterizations of the msaABCR operon in …
The Impact Of Oxygen Availability And Oxidative Stress On Regulation Of Cyclic-Dimeric-Gmp In Listeria Monocytogenes Strain F2365, Anna G. Welch
The Impact Of Oxygen Availability And Oxidative Stress On Regulation Of Cyclic-Dimeric-Gmp In Listeria Monocytogenes Strain F2365, Anna G. Welch
Honors Theses
Listeria monocytogenes is a gram-positive foodborne pathogen that results in the infectious disease listeriosis. The second messenger molecule cyclic-dimeric-GMP has been found to be responsible for the regulation of expression of many of its virulence factors with diguanylate cyclases and phosphodiesterases regulating the intracellular concentration of cyclic-di-GMP through synthesis and degradation, respectively. This study investigated the possibility that the availability of oxygen is the environmental signal crucial to the regulation of these enzymes. Prior research in our laboratory has demonstrated that the intracellular concentration of cyclic-di-GMP is elevated when exposed to anaerobic conditions. Due to this, it was hypothesized that …
A Metabolomics-Based Approach To The Screening Of Endometrial Cancer: Development Of A Gas Chromatography-Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry-Based Method, Allycia Lee
Honors Theses
Endometrial Cancer (EC) is the most common malignant tumor of the female reproductive tract. Currently there are no methods for effectively screening EC, but one method that is thought to be useful in screening EC is metabolomics. Metabolomics involves the analysis of metabolites which are low molecular weight inorganic and organic chemicals that are substrates, intermediates, and by-products of enzyme-mediated biochemical reactions in the cell. Previous research shows that the metabolic signature of EC patients are discernable from those of healthy patients. To aid in the development of an effective screening method for EC, blood serum, urine, and saliva samples …
Regulation Of Weak Acid-Dependent Cell Death By The Msaabcr Operon During Biofilm Formation Of Staphylococcus Aureus, Sarah-Elizabeth M. Polley
Regulation Of Weak Acid-Dependent Cell Death By The Msaabcr Operon During Biofilm Formation Of Staphylococcus Aureus, Sarah-Elizabeth M. Polley
Honors Theses
Staphylococcus aureus is a dangerous human pathogen and a leading cause of both nosocomial and community-associated infections. Infection by S. aureus is a growing health concern due to the emergence of antibiotic resistance and the capability to form robust biofilms. Major constituents of the biofilm extracellular matrix are demonstrated to be released via controlled autolysis of a subpopulation of the biofilm. As indicated in past studies, the programmed cell death (PCD) of S. aureus grown in a biofilm microenvironment is potentiated by the buildup of acetate, a byproduct of glucose metabolism, which causes cytoplasmic acidification. Furthermore, it has been shown …
The Regulatory Relationship Of Transcriptional Regulators Msab And Cody In Capsule Production In Staphylococcus Aureus, Brittany L. Trunell
The Regulatory Relationship Of Transcriptional Regulators Msab And Cody In Capsule Production In Staphylococcus Aureus, Brittany L. Trunell
Honors Theses
There are many transcriptional regulators found in pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus. Many of these regulators are essential for the organism’s ability to switch from commensal form to the virulent pathogenic form. One of these main regulators is CodY. This regulator has been shown to be responsive to nutrient availability during phases of growth. Additionally, we have recently found that MsaB, the only protein coding ORF of the msaABCR operon, is a putative co-regulator of capsule along with CodY. To explore these regulator interactions, we produced mutations of codY and msaABCR individually and a double mutation of msaABCR/ codY. We have observed …
Study Of The Function Of The Mold Specific Gene Ms95 In Dna Repair In The Pathogenic, Dimorphic Fungus Histoplasma Capsulatum, Erin M. Smith
Study Of The Function Of The Mold Specific Gene Ms95 In Dna Repair In The Pathogenic, Dimorphic Fungus Histoplasma Capsulatum, Erin M. Smith
Honors Theses
Histoplasma capsulatum (Hc) is a dimorphic fungus that is the etiologic agent of the respiratory infection Histoplasmosis that is mediated by a shift from the mold phase to the pathogenic yeast phase. Genes have been identified that are specific to the mold or yeast phase in order to study the molecular biology of this shift. MS95 was identified in a subtractive cDNA library that was enriched for mold-specific genes, and has been found to be homologous to the DNA damage-responsive gene DDR48, which functions in DNA repair in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In order to elucidate the function of MS95, a …