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Full-Text Articles in Medical Molecular Biology
Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Mucosal Attachment And Colonization By Clostridioides Difficile, Ben Sidner
Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Mucosal Attachment And Colonization By Clostridioides Difficile, Ben Sidner
Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
Clostridioides difficile is a Gram-positive, spore-forming, anaerobic bacterium which causes gastrointestinal disease and is a leading cause of nosocomial infections. Although infection typically occurs following antibiotic therapy, in recent years there has been an increase in infections which are not preceded by antibiotic use. Additionally, community-associated infections and rates of disease recurrence have increased. While it is understood that a healthy gastrointestinal microbiota provides protection against infection, the molecular mechanisms which underly C. difficile's ability to colonize and persist in the gut are mostly unknown. Building on work from others that suggests C. difficile associates with the outer mucus …
Systematic Assessment Of The Contribution Of Superantigens To Nasopharyngeal Colonization In A Mouse Model Of Streptococcal Infection, Katherine J. Kasper
Systematic Assessment Of The Contribution Of Superantigens To Nasopharyngeal Colonization In A Mouse Model Of Streptococcal Infection, Katherine J. Kasper
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Streptococcus pyogenes is adapted for persistence in humans. It typically colonizes the tonsils and skin, and humans are the only known reservoir. S. pyogenes can cause a wide range of mild to serious infections. Most streptococci-related deaths are due to complications of rheumatic fever and invasive infections. S. pyogenes produces virulence factors that contribute to the pathogen’s ability to colonize and cause disease, including streptococcal superantigens (SAgs), also known as streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxins (Spes). SAgs function by cross-linking T cells and antigen presenting cells (APC) which may cause a massive inflammatory response, and as such have been found to contribute …