Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Tetanus Immunity Among Adults In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo, Sue K. Gerber

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although tetanus is not a contagious disease, it can be deadly for people who are exposed and do

not have protective immunity against tetanus, which can be acquired only through vaccination.

Most studies on adult tetanus protective immunity are from high-income countries; limited

studies occur in Africa, and none has been reported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo

(DRC). This study sought to determine protective immunity against tetanus among adults in

DRC in relation to their age, sex, place of residence, and for women, antenatal care. The primary

purpose of this observational cross-sectional study using a nested serosurvey within …

Antibody-Mediated Immunity To Vibrio Cholerae At Epithelial Surfaces, Kara Jeanette Levinson

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of the severe diarrheal disease cholera, has an estimated worldwide disease burden in the millions and remains a significant public health threat. Immunity to V. cholerae is primarily antibody-mediated and though V. cholerae colonization evokes a mucosal immune response, it is the secretory IgA (SIgA) antibodies produced against bacterial surface antigens, specifically lipopolysaccharide (LPS) that confer protective immunity. SIgA antibodies are thought to function by inhibiting colonization by cross-linking and agglutination of pathogens, thereby limiting access to the epithelium, a process known as immune exclusion. Recent studies in other enteric pathogens have demonstrated that SIgA …

Identification Of B-Cell Epitopes On Domain 4 Of Anthrax Protective Antigen, Cassandra D. Kelly-Cirino

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Protective Antigen (PA) is the receptor binding subunit common to both Lethal (LT) and Edema (ET) toxins, which contribute to the mortality associated with Bacillus anthracis infection. While recombinant PA (rPA) is likely to be an important constituent of second generation anthrax vaccines, evaluating the effectiveness of candidate vaccines is currently difficult, because the specific B cell epitopes involved in toxin neutralization have not been completely defined. The only well characterized antibody, 14B7, has been shown to disrupt the association of PA with the anthrax toxin receptors (ATR) by binding to domain 4 of PA. I hypothesized that other domain …