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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Utilizing The Coughing Rat Model Of Pertussis To Improve Vaccine Efficacy, Jesse M. Hall
Utilizing The Coughing Rat Model Of Pertussis To Improve Vaccine Efficacy, Jesse M. Hall
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a respiratory disease caused by the highly contagious, Gram-negative pathogen Bordetella pertussis (Bp). Infection occurs through inhalation of aerosolized droplets containing Bp, which then colonizes ciliated epithelial cells of the respiratory tract. Here, Bp expresses toxins and virulence factors that lead to leukocyte recruitment, paroxysmal cough, and impairment of host innate responses. Currently, in developed countries, acellular pertussis vaccines (aP; DTaP; Tdap) are used to prevent Bp infection and whooping cough disease. However, we currently realize that the aP vaccine efficacy quickly wanes resulting in a reemergence of pertussis. Recent …
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Vaccine Development Using Dual-Species Whole Cell And Subunit Vaccines, Catherine Bell Blackwood
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Vaccine Development Using Dual-Species Whole Cell And Subunit Vaccines, Catherine Bell Blackwood
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen which can cause severe, recurrent, and chronic infections. The pathogen is highly adaptable, and pneumonia caused by it is associated with high morbidity and mortality, especially in individuals with the genetic disorder cystic fibrosis. Antibiotic resistance amongst clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa is steadily increasing, and multi-drug resistant strains are prevalent. There is currently no vaccine available for commercial use against P. aeruginosa. For these reasons, we sought to understand the immunity to P. aeruginosa induced by whole cell vaccination and identify antigens for development of future subunit vaccines. In this dissertation, …