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Spatial Ecology Of The Western Massasauga (Sisturus Tergeminus) In A Large Interior Wetland, Joshua Mead

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Insight into the spatial ecology of a population of animals provides information valuable to the management and conservation of a species. Reptiles are facing global declines, with 1 in 5 species currently threatened with extinction. For cryptic taxa such as snakes, radio-telemetry allows for individuals to be reliably located on a consistent basis. I used radio-telemetry to investigate the spatial ecology of the Western Massasauga (Sistrurus tergeminus) at Cheyenne Bottoms in Barton County, Kansas. Eighteen individuals (12 male and 6 female) were implanted with very high frequency (VHF) radio transmitters during 2016-2017 and tracked twice weekly from July to November …

Enhanced Production Of Pro-Il-1Βeta Contributes To Immunopathology During The Coinfection Of Influenza A Virus And Streptococcus Pneumoniae, Angeline E. Rodriguez

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Viral bacterial coinfections are known to cause severe pneumonia, especially in the elderly and in pediatric patients. Antibiotics like β-Lactams kill the bacteria but fail to improve symptoms suggesting a faulty immune system may play an important role in the disease. Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is an important immune signaling cytokine responsible for inflammation. It exists as an inactive precursor that can be activated by caspase-1 containing inflammasomes (multi-protein complex). Influenza A virus (IAV) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) activate the inflammasome through the NOD-like receptor protein NLRP3 and/or AIM2. Previous reports in mice indicate that IL-1β levels are dramatically …

The Role Of Freshwater Drum As A Host Of Freshwater Mussels, Unionidae, Michael S. Martin

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The Freshwater Drum, Aplodinotus grunniens, serves as fish host to multiple mussel species. Some mussel species are “drum specialists” in the sense that Freshwater Drum is apparently the only host that they utilize. Freshwater Drum diet consists partly of mussels, which it crushes with specially adapted pharyngeal teeth. The Freshwater Drum’s habit of feeding on mussels should favor adaptations to use the species as a host. Mussels that use Freshwater Drum as host could adapt to attract the fish. I predicted that many other species will have some ability to use Freshwater Drum as host because of its habit of …

Cddo-Me Attenuates Inflammation In Healthy And Systemic Sclerosis Macrophages, Saemi Han, Rajan Bhandari, Patricia A. Pioli

Wetterhahn Science Symposium Posters 2018

No abstract provided.

Periodontitis In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Simran Agarwal, Deepthi Gangaram, Mir Saleem

Biology Faculty Articles

Periodontitis is a chronic, inflammatory disease that is characterized by swollen gums, degradation of jaw structure, and potentially tooth loss. Like Periodontitis, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is also highly prevalent and largely multifactorial. Type 2 Diabetes is a condition in which higher than normal blood glucose levels cannot be properly maintained as the body’s normal mechanism of maintaining proper blood glucose levels, the release of insulin from pancreatic islet β-cells, becomes ineffective. The purpose of this literature review is to explore the relationship between the incidences of Periodontitis and Type 2 Diabetes. The risk that Type 2 Diabetes poses for …

Does Spaceflight Increase The Chance Of Female Astronauts Developing Uterine Cancer?, Areej Mosa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the main questions put forth by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) is whether or not an organism, especially mankind, can complete an entire life cycle in space. With this in mind, it is essential to study the effect of spaceflight on reproductive tissues. Using simulated microgravity techniques and whole-body radiation we sought to determine if females subjected to a simulated spaceflight environment have increased incidences of uterine cancer. Uterine tissue from mice subjected to simulated spaceflight was analyzed using immunohistochemical staining and western blot analysis. Two pathways commonly activated in cancer were investigated. Additionally, the uterine …

Changes In The Microbial Community Of Lubomirskia Baicalensis Affected By Red Sponge Disease, Colin Rorex

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lake Baikal is the oldest known lake and a unique ecosystem, home to several species of fresh water sponge. A disease outbreak affecting the dominant species, Lubormirskia baialensis, was recently reported. The cause of the disease has not been determined but one of the current hypothesis is that the increase in methane concentration is correlated to the disease outbreak. This pilot study characterized the microbiomes of sick and healthy sponges through the use of 16S rRNA sequencing. Sick sponge microbiomes shared a conserved group of taxa while the healthy sponge microbiomes had greater diversity. Indicator species analysis identified two significant …

A Potential New Way To Reduce Bed Bug Infestations: Arthroshield 880, Kristian Sills, Anne Park, Sean O'Keefe

Celebration of Student Scholarship Poster Sessions Archive

No abstract provided.

Prevalence Of Artemisinin Resistance Associated Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms In Kenyan Isolates, Elizabeth M. Glenn

Biology ETDs

Malaria has had an unspeakable toll on human economy and wellbeing. Every year, there are approximately 212 million malaria infections caused by Plasmodium falciparum leading to 429,000 deaths, the vast majority of which occur in sub-Saharan Africa where the parasite is endemic. Decades of widespread use, and probable misuse, of antimalarial drugs has created extraordinary selective pressure on the parasite and made many formerly effective drugs ineffective. Currently, artemisinin and artemisinin derivatives are the most effective treatment available but resistance to dihydroartemisinin (DHA), the active ingredient, is emerging. Continued monitoring for genetic mutations linked with resistance is vital to global …

De Novo Assembly Of The Burying Beetle Nicrophorus Orbicollis (Coleoptera: Silphidae) Transcriptome Across Developmental Stages With Identification Of Key Immune Transcripts, Harim Won, Thomas T. Schulze, Emalie J. Clement, Gabrielle F. Watson, Sean M. Watson, Rosalie C. Warner, Elizabeth A. M. Ramler, Elias J. Witte, Mark A. Schoenbeck, Claudia M. Rauter, Paul H. Davis

Biology Faculty Publications

Burying beetles (Nicrophorus spp.) are among the relatively few insects that provide parental care while not belonging to the eusocial insects such as ants or bees. This behavior incurs energy costs as evidenced by immune deficits and shorter life-spans in reproducing beetles. In the absence of an assembled transcriptome, relatively little is known concerning the molecular biology of these beetles. This work details the assembly and analysis of the Nicrophorus orbicollis transcriptome at multiple developmental stages. RNA-Seq reads were obtained by next-generation sequencing and the transcriptome was assembled using the Trinity assembler. Validation of the assembly was performed by functional …

Characterization Of The Interaction Between R. Conorii And Human Host Vitronectin In Rickettsial Pathogenesis, Abigail Inez Fish

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia are inoculated into the mammalian host during hematophagous arthropod feeding. Once in the bloodstream and during dissemination, the survival of these pathogens is dependent upon their ability to evade innate host defenses until a proper cellular target is reached. The establishment of a successful infection also relies on the ability of the bacteria to attach and invade target cells, as failure to do so results in destruction of the bacterium. Rickettsia conorii expresses an outer membrane protein, Adr1, which binds the multifunctional human glycoprotein, vitronectin, to promote resistance to complement mediated killing. Homologs of Adr1 are …

Analysis Of Downstream Signaling Of Tlrs After U0126 Inhibition, Brandy Frazier

Student Scholar Showcase

Francisella tularensis (F. tularensis) is a pathogenic bacterium which causes the disease tularemia. F. tularensis is thought to be able to enter and multiply inside of liver cells because it interacts with toll-like receptors (TLRs). Examining the signaling pathway downstream of the TLRs will allow for better understanding of how this disease works and possible treatment strategies. In this study I propose to examine how molecular inhibitors affect signaling downstream of TLRs in HepG2 cells treated with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from E. coli. Mitogen-activated protein kinase is a cellular molecule in signaling cascades that directs cellular response mechanisms. MAPK can be …

Do Paraben Derivatives Alter T Cell Immunity?, Hailey Kintz

Spring Presentation of Undergraduate Research

T cells immunity is linked to a complex system of cytokines that determine differentiation of naïve T cells into Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg cells. Estrogen production or periods of elevated production have been correlated with an anti-inflammatory state in which Th2 and Treg cells are up-regulated. Such responses in the immune system are capable of supporting pre-cancerous activity. We are investigating the tie between the xenoestrogen compounds found in cosmetics, parabens, and their ability to regulate T cell immunity. Testing parabens and paraben derivatives with weaker estrogen receptor association will allow for a better understanding of the interplay between …

Using Multi‐Response Models To Investigate Pathogen Coinfections Across Scales: Insights From Emerging Diseases Of Amphibians, William E. Stutz, Andrew R. Blaustein, Cheryl J. Briggs, Jason T. Hoverman, Jason R. Rohr, Pieter T. J. Johnson

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

1. Associations among parasites affect many aspects of host–parasite dynamics, but a lack of analytical tools has limited investigations of parasite correlations in observational data that are often nested across spatial and biological scales.
2. Here we illustrate how hierarchical, multiresponse modelling can characterize parasite associations by allowing for hierarchical structuring, offering estimates of uncertainty and incorporating correlational model structures. After introducing the general approach, we apply this framework to investigate coinfections among four amphibian parasites (the trematodes Ribeiroia ondatrae and Echinostoma spp., the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and ranaviruses) and among >2,000 individual hosts, 90 study sites and five amphibian host …

Effects Of Radiation On Neurite Morphology And Cytoskeleton Structure, Melissa Sassman

Student Scholarship

Long-term manned space exploration to the moon, Mars, and other areas beyond Earth's protective magnetic field poses possible acute and late central nervous systems (CNS) risks. Of particular concern for astronauts is exposure to high atomic number, high energy particles known as HZE particles, a component of galactic cosmic radiation (GCR). Although NASA has radiation safety requirements, the possible effects of GCR and HZE particles on the central nervous systems of astronauts remains unknown. Understanding the risks and effects of galactic cosmic radiation and HZE particles on the central nervous system will allow for safer space exploration.

Additionally, and perhaps …

Infection Kinetics Of Rickettsia Asemboensis And Interaction With Rickettsia Felis Within The Cat Flea (Ctenocephalides Felis), Sabrina Magdalena Camille Valdes

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Young Alu Elements In The Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri) Lineage For Use As Species-Indicative Molecular Markers, Michael W. Denham

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Selection Of Potential Therapeutic Bacteriophages That Lyse A Ctx-M-15 Extended Spectrum Β-Lactamase Producing Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhi Strain From The Democratic Republic Of The Congo, Elene Kakabadze, Khatuna Makalatia, Nino Grdzelishvili, Nata Bakuradze, Marina Goderdzishvili, Ia Kusradze, Marie France Phoba, Octavie Lunguya, Cédric Lood, Rob Lavigne, Jan Jacobs, Stijn Deborggraeve, Tessa De Block, Sandra Van Puyvelde, David Lee, Aidan Coffey, Anahit Sedrakyan, Patrick Soentjens, Daniel De Vos, Jean Paul Pirnay, Nina Chanishvili

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

© 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Recently, a Salmonella Typhi isolate producing CTX-M-15 extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and with decreased ciprofloxacin susceptibility was isolated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We have selected bacteriophages that show strong lytic activity against this isolate and have potential for phage-based treatment of S. Typhi, and Salmonella in general.

An Assessment Of Dna Extraction Protocols For Herbarium Specimen: The Case Of Uaeu Herbarium, Mouza Ali Hasan Mohammad Alshehhi

Biology Theses

The herbarium collections have become vastly used due to the recent developments in molecular techniques. Molecular techniques such as DNA extraction and DNA sequencing are playing an important role in studying genetic makeup of plant and identifying the evolutionary relationship using DNA bar coding. Herbarium collection is considered as one of the potential source to access the genetic material of the extinct plant species. Study focused on the DNA isolation process using five isolation techniques: Maxwell, Synergy, Qiagen, I-Genomic , and CTAB on herbarium desert/medicine plant: Inula Helenium, Chenopodium album, Salsola Kali, Haloxylon Persicum, Atriplex Halimus and compared them with …

School Of Biological Sciences News, 2018, School Of Biological Sciences

School of Biological Sciences News

Alumni newsletter of Illinois State University's School of Biological Sciences.

A Plant-Produced Vaccine Protects Mice Against Lethal West Nile Virus Infection Without Enhancing Zika Or Dengue Virus Infectivity, Huafang Lai, Amber M. Paul, Haiyan Sun, Junyun He, Ming Yang, Fengwei Bai

Faculty Publications

West Nile virus (WNV) has caused multiple global outbreaks with increased frequency of neuroinvasive disease in recent years. Despite many years of research, there are no licensed therapeutics or vaccines available for human use. One of the major impediments of vaccine development against WNV is the potential enhancement of infection by related flaviviruses in vaccinated subjects through the mechanism of antibody-dependent enhancement of infection (ADE). For instance, the recent finding of enhancement of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection by pre-exposure to WNV further complicates the development of WNV vaccines. Epidemics of WNV and the potential risk of ADE by current vaccine …

Evolution Of Alu Elements In The Saimiri And Papio Lineages Of Primates, Jasmine Nicole Brown Baker

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Alu elements are approximately 300 base pair (bp) primate specific non- autonomous retrotransposons. Alu elements, a short interspersed element (SINE), account for high copy numbers in all primate genomes. Numerous Alu element subfamilies have undergone varying degrees of activity and amplification within primates. Identification of these subfamilies has proved to be very informative in elucidating phylogenies and as phylogenomic markers. Squirrel monkeys, genus Saimiri, are one of the most well-known neotropical primates and the second most commonly used laboratory monkey. Squirrel monkey species diverged approximately 1.5 million years ago and are native to South America. Despite being well-known, there …

Host Species, And Not Environment, Predicts Variation In Blood Parasite Prevalence, Distribution, And Diversity Along A Humidity Gradient In Northern South America, Robert Ricklefs, Paulo Pulgarín‐R, Juan Gómez

Biology Department Faculty Works

Environmental factors strongly influence the ecology and evolution of vector‐borne infectious diseases. However, our understanding of the influence of climatic variation on host–parasite interactions in tropical systems is rudimentary. We studied five species of birds and their haemosporidian parasites (Plasmodium and Haemoproteus) at 16 sampling sites to understand how environmental heterogeneity influences patterns of parasite prevalence, distribution, and diversity across a marked gradient in water availability in northern South America. We used molecular methods to screen for parasite infections and to identify parasite lineages. To characterize spatial heterogeneity in water availability, we used weather‐station and remotely sensed climate data. We …

Factors Affecting The Parasitism Of Gregarine Species In Grasshoppers In Western Nebraska, Alexandra Creigh, Kristin Mclarty, Scott Lyell Gardner

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

We conducted a survey of the species of parasites found in grasshoppers around the area of Dunwoody’s Pond to investigate whether there were any species specific parasitic relationships occurring there. We collected grasshoppers from several areas around Dunwoody’s Pond totaling 15 species including Melanoplus bivittatus (Say 1825) , Melanoplus sanguinipes (Fabricius, 1798) , Melanoplus differentialis (Thomas 1865), and Melanoplus femurrubrum (De Geer 1773), along with others (Seymour et al., 2009) and compared the parasites found in them. This study is similar to one conducted in South America by Lloyd in 1951, and we hoped to find connections between species to …

Flames And Frogs – The Impact Of Environmental Disturbances On Host-Parasite Dynamics, Nicole Ortega

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The successful completion of this work is dedicated first to my grandparents for having always shown their unwavering love and encouragement in my journeys (most of which they kindly and politely only pretended to understand) and for having also served as life-long role models who upheld an unparalleled work ethic. To many whom I consider to be my chosen family, especially Ann Williams and Brittany Sears, who kept me laughing, but more importantly, kept my crazy train from derailing during these tumultuous years. To Wayne Price and Tom Jackman, who fostered the success of my career and are the epitome …

Streamlined Preparation Of Genomic Dna In Agarose Plugs For Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis, Linda D. Hicks, Charlotte M. Van Der Graaf, Jacob Childress, Emily Cook, Karen Schmidt, Frank Rosenzweig, Eugene Kroll

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Genome analysis using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) has been used in applications ranging from typing bacterial strains to radiobiology to cancer research. While methods for running PFGE have been significantly improved since its invention, the method for preparing chromosomal DNA itself has remained essentially unchanged. This limits the applicability of PFGE, especially when analyses require many samples. We have streamlined sample preparation for routine applications of PFGE through the use of deep-well 48-well plates. Besides saving time, our protocol has the added advantage of reducing the volume of expensive reagents. Our improved protocol enables us to reduce throughput time and …

Do Host‐Associated Gut Microbiota Mediate The Effect Of An Herbicide On Disease Risk In Frogs?, Sarah A. Knutie, Caitlin R. Gabor, Kevin D. Kohl, Jason R. Rohr

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

1. Environmental stressors, such as pollutants, can increase disease risk in wildlife. For example, the herbicide atrazine affects host defences (e.g. resistance and tolerance) of the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), but the mechanisms for these associations are not entirely clear. Given that pollutants can alter the gut microbiota of hosts, which in turn can affect their health and immune systems, one potential mechanism by which pollutants could increase infection risk is by influencing host‐associated microbiota.
2. Here, we test whether early‐life exposure to the estimated environmental concentration (EEC; 200 μg/L) of atrazine affects the gut bacterial composition of …

Introducing The Jmbe Themed Issue On Science Communication, Dennis F. Mangan, Emily T. Cloyd, Jesus A. Romo, David R. Wessner, David J. Westenberg, For Full List Of Authors, See Publisher's Website.

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Tree Species Vary Widely In Their Tolerance For Liana Infestation: A Case Study Of Differential Host Response To Generalist Parasites, Marco D. Visser, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Helene C. Muller-Laudau, Eelke Jongejans, Hans De Kroon, Liza S. Comita, Stephen P. Hubbell, S. Joseph Wright

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

1. Lianas are structural parasites of trees and reduce individual host tree growth, survival and fecundity. Thus, liana infestation is expected to affect tree population growth rates, with potentially different effects in different species depending on the frequency of liana infestation and the impact of liana infestation on population growth rates. Previous studies have documented the myriad negative effects of lianas on trees and variation in liana infestation among tree species; however, no study has quantified the impact of liana infestation on individual tree species population growth rates. Lianas are increasing in abundance in multiple Neotropical sites, which may have profound …

Temperature Drives Epidemics In A Zooplankton-Fungus Disease System: A Trait-Driven Approach Points To Transmission Via Host Foraging, Marta S. Shocket, Alexander T. Strauss, Jessica L. Hite, Maja Šljivar, David J. Civitello, Meghan A. Duffy, Carla E. Cáceres, Spencer R. Hall

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Climatic warming will likely have idiosyncratic impacts on infectious diseases, causing some to increase while others decrease or shift geographically. A mechanistic framework could better predict these different temperature-disease outcomes. However, such a framework remains challenging to develop, due to the nonlinear and (sometimes) opposing thermal responses of different host and parasite traits and due to the difficulty of validating model predictions with observations and experiments. We address these challenges in a zooplanktonfungus (Daphnia dentifera–Metschnikowia bicuspidata) system. We test the hypothesis that warmer temperatures promote disease spread and produce larger epidemics. In lakes, epidemics that start earlier and warmer in …