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Full-Text Articles in Medical Sciences
Emerging Pathogens In Cystic Fibrosis Patients At Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center (Vcumc), Emily M. Hill
Emerging Pathogens In Cystic Fibrosis Patients At Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center (Vcumc), Emily M. Hill
Theses and Dissertations
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive disorder affecting 70,000 individuals worldwide. This disease is characterized by the buildup of mucus in the airways leading to chronic lung infections resulting in pulmonary failure and death in 95% of CF patients. Routine surveillance of CF pathogens using traditional microbiology culture guides management and treatment of CF patients. Molecular profiling studies have revealed emerging pathogens that may play a role in CF lung disease by either directly causing infection or upregulating the virulence factors of classic CF pathogens, such as P. aeruginosa; however, routine CF culture protocols have not been modified …
Drug And Vaccine Development For Neisseria Gonorrhoeaea, Devin R. Cash
Drug And Vaccine Development For Neisseria Gonorrhoeaea, Devin R. Cash
Theses and Dissertations
Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the causative agent of the STI gonorrhea, is not preventable by vaccination and is rapidly developing resistance to antibiotics. One important strategy for gonococcal survival in the host is iron acquisition in the face of nutritional immunity. To overcome iron limitation, the gonococcus expresses TonB dependent transporters (TdTs), outer membrane proteins that facilitate nutrient acquisition. Of the TdTs, the transferrin (Tf), lactoferrin (Lf), and hemoglobin (Hb) receptors hijack iron directly from host proteins, and studies have already shown that the Tf receptor is essential for the initiation of human infection. Given that the TdTs are virulence factors, …