Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Institution
- Keyword
-
- ADE (1)
- American dog tick (1)
- Antibody (1)
- Aquaculture microbiome (1)
- Bile salts (1)
-
- C-reactive protein (1)
- C. difficile (1)
- C. difficile toxins (1)
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Cancer; Neoplasms; Agonist; CDN (1)
- Candida albicans (1)
- Candida parapsilosis (1)
- Clostridium difficile (1)
- Clostridium quorum sensing (1)
- Clostridium toxins (1)
- Complement (1)
- Difficile toxin activity (1)
- Epithelial cells (1)
- Factor H (1)
- Flow cytometry (1)
- Gamma-secretase (1)
- Host associated microbiome (1)
- Hotairm1 (1)
- Immune response (1)
- Immuno-oncology (1)
- Innate immunity (1)
- Intravital imaging (1)
- Leishmania (1)
- MDSC (1)
- Macrophage (1)
- MiRNA (1)
Articles 1 - 11 of 11
Full-Text Articles in Pathogenic Microbiology
Weaving An Interdisciplinary Microbiome Career Using Threads From Different Ecosystems, Sarah Hosler
Weaving An Interdisciplinary Microbiome Career Using Threads From Different Ecosystems, Sarah Hosler
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Animals have trillions of microorganisms living in or on many body sites, these communities of microorganisms are called microbiomes. Microbiomes are typically host-specific, and a lot of information about the host can be determined from investigating them. Microbiome research has many real-world applications, and this thesis utilizes the One Health perspective, which acknowledges the connection of humans, animals, and environments, and emphasizes the need for collaborative, interdisciplinary research. The first interdisciplinary project is an investigation into the bacteria in wild and cultured Atlantic deep-sea scallop, Placopecten magellanicus larvae. Adults in hatcheries can be induced to spawn, but the last two …
Cat Covid, Cmv And Chemokines, Oh My!, Trevor Hancock
Cat Covid, Cmv And Chemokines, Oh My!, Trevor Hancock
Doctoral Dissertations
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an important pathogen infecting most humans worldwide. CMV infection within immunocompromised individuals can cause severe morbidity and potential mortality. Disease during CMV infection is due to virus dissemination and subsequent inflammation. Host immune cells lie at the intersection potentially mediating both. The CMV-encoded viral chemokine vCXCL-1 is a proposed virulence factor in mouse models increasing immune cell recruitment and disease. However, the primary immune cell mediator is undetermined. To identify targets, Chapter 2 examines CXCR2 expression (receptor for vCXCL-1) among various mouse tissues and human peripheral blood under steady-state conditions. In vitro, isoforms of HCMV’s vCXCL-1 …
Development, Expansion And Role Of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells In Post-Sepsis Immune Suppression, Tuqa Alkhateeb
Development, Expansion And Role Of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells In Post-Sepsis Immune Suppression, Tuqa Alkhateeb
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) numbers increase significantly in sepsis and are associated with high mortality rates. These myeloid cell precursors promote immunosuppression, especially in the late (post sepsis) stage. However, the mechanisms that underlie MDSC expansion and programming are not completely understood. To investigate these mechanisms, we used a cecal-ligation and puncture (CLP) mouse model of polymicrobial sepsis that progresses from an early/acute proinflammatory phase to a late/chronic immunosuppressive phase. Previous studies in our laboratory showed that microRNA (miR)-21 and miR-181b elevate levels of the transcription factor nuclear factor 1 (NFI-A) that promotes MDSC expansion. We report here that miR-21 …
Intravital Imaging In A Zebrafish Model Elucidates Interactions Between Mucosal Immunity And Pathogenic Fungi, Linda S. Archambault
Intravital Imaging In A Zebrafish Model Elucidates Interactions Between Mucosal Immunity And Pathogenic Fungi, Linda S. Archambault
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Candida yeasts are common commensals that can cause mucosal disease and life-threatening systemic infections. While many of the components required for defense against Candida albicans infection are well established, questions remain about how various host cells at mucosal sites assess threats and coordinate defenses to prevent normally commensal organisms from becoming pathogenic. Using two Candida species, C. albicans and C. parapsilosis, which differ in their abilities to damage epithelial tissues, we used traditional methods (pathogen CFU, host survival, and host cytokine expression) combined with high-resolution intravital imaging of transparent zebrafish larvae to illuminate host-pathogen interactions at the cellular level …
A High Throughput Assay For The Detection Of Stimulator Of Interferon Genes (Sting) Agonists, Michael J. Ingling
A High Throughput Assay For The Detection Of Stimulator Of Interferon Genes (Sting) Agonists, Michael J. Ingling
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations
The innate immune system includes a menagerie of different cell types, each with a different role in the process of monitoring the body for invaders and presenting gathered debris (antigen) to the adaptive immune system. Somatic cells have intracellular receptors for the same purpose. Cancer cells, however, have avoided these methods of detection despite, in many cases, the tumor’s immunogenic traits. Immuno-oncology is a field dedicated to the immunological traits of tumors, more recently finding ways of instigating an immune response against tumors. In this regard, STING, a receptor of cyclic dinucleotides (CDN), has come to the forefront of immuno-oncology. …
Antibody Dependent Enhancement Of Visceral Leishmaniasis, Alan K. Mcnolty
Antibody Dependent Enhancement Of Visceral Leishmaniasis, Alan K. Mcnolty
All Master's Theses
Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by protozoans of the genus Leishmania. This vector-born disease, transmitted by biting phlebotomine sandflies, typically manifests in one of three ways. The cutaneous form of the disease is characterized by localized lesions of the skin and is by far the most common manifestation. The visceral form of the disease is caused by parasitic infiltration of internal organs, particularly the spleen, liver, and bone marrow. The mucocutaneous form is caused by parasitic infection of the mucosa in the nose or mouth. While cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is often self-healing, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is fatal if …
Comparison Of Anti-Pneumococcal Functions Of Native And Modified Forms Of C-Reactive Protein, Donald Neba Ngwa
Comparison Of Anti-Pneumococcal Functions Of Native And Modified Forms Of C-Reactive Protein, Donald Neba Ngwa
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The anti-pneumococcal function of native C-reactive protein (CRP) involves its binding to phosphocholine molecules present on Streptococcus pneumoniae and subsequent activation of the complement system. However, when pneumococci recruit complement inhibitory protein factor H on their surface, they escape complement attack. Non-native forms of CRP have been shown to bind immobilized factor H. Accordingly, we hypothesized that modified CRP would bind to factor H on pneumococci, masking its complement inhibitory activity, allowing native CRP to exert its anti-pneumococcal function. As reported previously, native CRP protected mice from lethal pneumococcal infection when injected 30 minutes before infection but not when injected …
Regulation Of Toxin Synthesis By Clostridium Difficile, Charles Darkoh
Regulation Of Toxin Synthesis By Clostridium Difficile, Charles Darkoh
Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)
Clostridium difficile is the leading definable cause of nosocomial diarrhea worldwide due to its virulence, multi-drug resistance, spore-forming ability, and environmental persistence. The incidence of C. difficile infection (CDI) has been increasing exponentially in the last decade. Virulent strains of C. difficile produce either toxin A and/or toxin B, which are essential for the pathogenesis of this bacterium. Current methods for diagnosing CDI are mostly qualitative tests that detect the bacterium, the toxins, or the toxin genes. These methods do not differentiate virulent C. difficile strains that produce active toxins from non-virulent strains that do not produce toxins or produce …
Novel Mechanisms Of Antigen Processing That Enhance Bcg Vaccine Efficacy, Christopher R. Singh
Novel Mechanisms Of Antigen Processing That Enhance Bcg Vaccine Efficacy, Christopher R. Singh
Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, is the most lethal single infectious agent afflicting man today causing 2 million deaths per year. The World Health Organization recommends a vaccine as the best option to prevent this disease. The current vaccine, BCG, has a variable efficacy and does not protect adults. It is known that BCG vaccine becomes sequestered in special phagosome compartments of macrophages that do not fuse with lysosomes. Since lysosome fusion is necessary for peptide production and T cell priming leading to protective TH1 immunity, we hypothesized that vaccine efficacy is reduced and occurs perhaps …
Role Of Vitamin-D3 And Retinoic Acid In A Human Thp-1 Macrophage Model Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection, Jaymie L. Estrella
Role Of Vitamin-D3 And Retinoic Acid In A Human Thp-1 Macrophage Model Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection, Jaymie L. Estrella
Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) replicates within the human macrophages and we investigated the activating effects of retinoic acid (RA) and vitamin D3 (VD) on macrophages in relation to the viability of Mtb. A combination of these vitamins (RAVD) enhanced the receptors on THP-1 macrophage (Mannose receptor and DC-SIGN) that increased mycobacterial uptake but inhibited the
subsequent intracellular growth of Mtb by inducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and autophagy. RAVD also enhanced antigen presenting and homing receptors in THPs that suggested an activated phenotype for THPs following RAVD treatment. RAVD mediated activation was also associated with a marked phenotypic change in Mtb …
The Defensin Gene In Dermacentor Variabilis And Ixodes Scapularis, Katherine Corbett Seguin
The Defensin Gene In Dermacentor Variabilis And Ixodes Scapularis, Katherine Corbett Seguin
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
In response to microbial challenge, invertebrates rely on their innate immune response to recognize and destroy harmful pathogens. One of the primary proteins produced by the response and that has been observed in many invertebrates, including insects, mussels, and ticks, is defensin. These proteins are responsible for forming pores in the membranes of invading microbes thereby destroying them. This study examined the gene coding region for defensin in two important tick disease vectors, Dermacentor variabilis and Ixodes scapularis. PCR amplification of the genes from tick chromosomal DNA resulted in the amplification of a 225 base pair amplicon. Sequencing of …