Digital Commons Network^™

Delineation Of Aeromonas Hydrophila Pathotypes By Dectection Of Putative Virulence Factors Using Polymerase Chain Reaction And Nematode Challenge Assay, John Metz

Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses

Aeromonas hydrophila is a Gram-negative, bacterial pathogen of humans and other vertebrates. To delineate pathotypes, the genomes of twenty-eight Aeromonas isolates were screened by PCR to determine the presence of virulence factors including: aerolysin (aerA), cytotoxic enterotoxin (act), hemolysin (ahh1), elastase (ahyB), enolase (eno), S-layer protein (ahsA), serine protease (ser), Type IV Aeromonas pilus (tapA), lipase (lip), and Type Three Secretion System (T3SS) components (aopB, ascV). Genes for ahh1, lip, ser, and ahyB …

Bacterially-Based Immune Challenges And Trauma Elicit Terminal Investment In Male Aedes Aegypti, Molly K. Schumacher

Theses and Dissertations

Investment in life history traits such as immune function and reproduction is constrained by finite available resources. A cost-of-immunity trade-off may occur in response to infection when resources are diverted away from reproductive effort and into an immune response. Alternatively, an infected individual may enhance reproductive effort to maximize terminal reproductive success in response to the survival threat inherent to infection (terminal investment). We measured male Aedes aegypti reproductive behavior following inoculations with: living bacteria; killed bacteria as an immune elicitor; and a sham control. Mating competitiveness relative to naïve males was also determined through a binary mate choice experiment …

Lesion-Specific Immune Response In Granulomas Of Patients With Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Pilot Study, Selvakumar Subbian, Liana Tsenova, Mi-Jeong Kim, Helen C. Wainwright, Annalie Visser, Nirmalya Bandyopadhyay, Joel S. Bader, Petros C. Karakousis, Gabriele B. Murrmann, Linda-Gail Bekker, David G. Russell, Gilla Kaplan

Publications and Research

The formation and maintenance of granulomas is central to the host response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection. It is widely accepted that the lungs of patients with tuberculosis (TB) usually contain multiple infection foci, and that the granulomas evolve and differentiate independently, resulting in considerable heterogeneity. Although gene expression profiles of human blood cells have been proposed as biomarkers of Mtb infection and/or active disease, the immune profiles of discrete lesion types has not been studied extensively. Using histology, immunopathology and genome-wide transcriptome analysis, we explored the immunological profile of human lung TB granulomas. We show that although the different …

Schistosomes Of Nepal, Ramesh Devkota

Biology ETDs

Globally, digenetic trematodes called schistosomes (Family Schistosomatidae) have enormous public and veterinary health significance because they cause debilitating and chronic infections collectively called schistosomiasis. Schistosomes have a life cycle featuring a bird or mammal definitive host in which adult worms are found, and freshwater snail intermediate hosts in which larval stages are found and free-swimming cercariae are produced which infect the definitive host. Although schistosomes are known to be common in tropical and subtropical Asia, their presence in Nepal, a small south Asian country situated between India and China, was almost completely unknown at the beginning of this study. Consequently, …

An Insight Into The Sialome Of The Lone Star Tick, Ambylomma Americanum, With A Glimpse On Its Time Dependent Gene Expression, Shahid Karim, José M.C. Ribeiro

Faculty Publications

Hard ticks feed for several days or weeks on their hosts. Blood feeding is assisted by tick saliva, which is injected in the host skin regularly, alternating with blood ingestion. Tick saliva contains hundreds or thousands of different peptides and other bioactive compounds that assist feeding by inhibiting their hosts’ blood clotting, platelet aggregation, vasoconstriction, as well as pain and itching. Immunomodulatory and antimicrobial peptides are also found in tick saliva. Molecular characterization of tick salivary compounds, or its sialome (from the Greek sialos = saliva), helps identification of possible antigens that might confer anti-tick immunity, as well as identifying …

Invasive Asian Earthworms Negatively Impact Woodland Salamanders: Competitive Exclusion, Foraging Interference, And Habitat Degradation Reduce Salamander Density, Julie L. Ziemba

Masters Theses

Asian earthworms (Amynthas spp.) are invading North American forests and consuming the vital detrital layer that forest floor biota (including the Eastern Red-backed Salamander, Plethodon cinereus) rely on for protection, food, and habitat. Salamander population decline has been associated with European earthworm-mediated leaf litter loss, but there have been few studies on the interactions between Amynthas spp. and P. cinereus. Since the large, active Amynthas spp. earthworms spatially overlap with salamanders beneath natural cover objects and in detritus, they may compound the negative consequences of resource degradation by physically disturbing important salamander activities (foraging, mating, and egg brooding). I predicted …

A Review: Antifungal Potentials Of Medicinal Plants, Ghulam Murtaza, Muhammad Mukhtar, Aysha Sarfraz

Journal of Bioresource Management

Medicinal plants have been widely used to treat a variety of infectious and non-infectious diseases. According to an estimate, 25% of the commonly used medicines contain compounds isolated from plants. Several plants could offer a rich reserve for drug discovery of infectious diseases, particularly in an era when the latest separation techniques are available on one hand, and the human population is challenged by a number of emerging infectious diseases on the other hand. Among several other ailments, fungal infections are posing a great threat to the mankind, as a large number of people suffer from fungal infections worldwide due …

The Behavioral Response Of Culex Erraticus To Different Snake Odors, Lindsey E. Wells

Honors College Theses

Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is an arbovirus that can cause fatal infections in humans and horses. Unfortunately, the transmission mechanisms of this virus are still largely unknown. Culex erraticus displays a strong potential for serving as a vector of EEEV because of its indiscriminate feeding pattern and abundance in areas with the highest prevalence of infection. However, Culex erraticus is incapable of over-wintering the virus, yet EEE recurs each spring. Snakes may play an important role in over-wintering the virus, and certain snake species may be infected more frequently than others. This study was conducted to determine if Culex …

Behavioral Immunity Suppresses An Epizootic In Caribbean Spiny Lobsters, Mark J. Butler Iv, Donald C. Behringer Jr., Thomas W. Dolan Iii, Jessica Moss, Jeffrey D. Shields

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Sociality has evolved in a wide range of animal taxa but infectious diseases spread rapidly in populations of aggregated individuals, potentially negating the advantages of their social interactions. To disengage from the coevolutionary struggle with pathogens, some hosts have evolved various forms of "behavioral immunity"; yet, the effectiveness of such behaviors in controlling epizootics in the wild is untested. Here we show how one form of behavioral immunity (i.e., the aversion of diseased conspecifics) practiced by Caribbean spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus) when subject to the socially transmitted PaV1 virus, appears to have prevented an epizootic over a large seascape. We …

Questionable Validity Of The Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection Metric Used For Value-Based Purchasing, Lindsay E. Calderon, Kevin T. Kavanagh, Mara K. Rice

Biological Sciences Faculty and Staff Research

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) occur in 290,000 US hospital patients annually, with an estimated cost of $290 million. Two different measurement systems are being used to track the US health care system's performance in lowering the rate of CAUTIs. Since 2010, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) metric has shown a 28.2% decrease in CAUTI, whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention metric has shown a 3%-6% increase in CAUTI since 2009. Differences in data acquisition and the definition of the denominator may explain this discrepancy. The AHRQ metric analyzes chart-audited data and reflects both catheter …

Controllability Of An Eco-Epidemiological System With Disease Transmission Delay: A Theoretical Study, Samadyuti Haldar, Kunal Chakraborty, T. K. Kar

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

This paper deals with the qualitative analysis of a disease transmission delay induced prey preda-tor system in which disease spreads among the predator species only. The growth of the preda-tors’ susceptible and infected subpopulations is assumed as modified Leslie–Gower type. Suffi-cient conditions for the persistence, permanence, existence and stability of equilibrium points are obtained. Global asymptotic stability of the system is investigated around the coexisting equilib-rium using a geometric approach. The existence of Hopf bifurcation phenomenon is also exam-ined with respect to some important parameters of the system. The criterion for disease a trans-mission delay the induced Hopf bifurcation phenomenon …

The Biological Consequences Of Kaolin Geophagia, Deloris Alexander, Desire Richardson, Lakisha Odom, Kara Cromwell, Dejuana Grant, Micoya Myers, Eddy Cadet, Hamid Mahama, Vijaya Rangari, Ralphenia Pace, Ramble Ankumah, Kokoasse Kpomblekou-A, Curtis Fluker

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Abstract

Kaolin geophagia is associated with the relief of gastrointestinal distress, but it may also cause adverse health effects on the body. This study was designed to: assess kaolin composition; test if 129SvEv mice would consume kaolin and determine the consequences of consumption; and assess rotational stress modulation of consumption. Thirteen kaolin samples were purchased from Alabama and Georgia stores. Chemical and physical properties were characterized for each sample using a Munsell chart, pH meter, Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, Visible Near-InfraRed Spectra, and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry. Kaolin was then given to mice as food supplements and …

Isolation And Epidemiological Analysis Of Verotoxigenic E. Coli From Patients With Acute Gastroenteritis: A Prospective Study Aiming To Reduce The Burden Of Infection In The Cork Region., Shirley Ross

Masters

Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) is a serious gastrointestinal pathogen associated with morbidity and mortality in the first world, as accentuated by the O104 VTEC outbreak in Germany in 2011. Molecular detection of Verotoxin (VT) has increased the detection of VTEC across Europe however, Ireland still has the highest incidence and isolation is still a key step in the confirmation of infection and the control and prevention of outbreaks. Currently no standard protocol exists for the detection, isolation and characterisation of non-O157 VTEC and it is feared that due to this that the prevalence of VTEC is under-reported. This body of …

Spatial Heterogeneity, Host Movement And Mosquito-Borne Disease Transmission, Miguel A. Acevedo, Olivia Prosper, Kenneth Lopiano, Nick Ruktanonchai, T. Trevor Caughlin, Maia Martcheva, Craig W. Osenberg, David L. Smith

Dartmouth Scholarship

Mosquito-borne diseases are a global health priority disproportionately affecting low-income populations in tropical and sub-tropical countries. These pathogens live in mosquitoes and hosts that interact in spatially heterogeneous environments where hosts move between regions of varying transmission intensity. Although there is increasing interest in the implications of spatial processes for mosquito-borne disease dynamics, most of our understanding derives from models that assume spatially homogeneous transmission. Spatial variation in contact rates can influence transmission and the risk of epidemics, yet the interaction between spatial heterogeneity and movement of hosts remains relatively unexplored. Here we explore, analytically and through numerical simulations, how …

Chronic Inflammation As A Result Of Hepatitis C Virus Infection: A Review Of The Literature, Samantha L. Lane

DePaul Discoveries

Approximately 170 million people are infected with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) worldwide^5,6. It is estimated that roughly 80% of those infected suffer from persistent infection with the virus; this persistence of infection is progressive, and over time can lead to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma⁷. Chronic inflammation and apoptotic deregulation are both hallmarks of chronic HCV infection, and many molecular pathways are initiated in both the innate and adaptive immune responses during infection with this viral pathogen. The aim of this review was to survey some of the major molecular mechanisms responsible for the induction of …

Triatominae (Hemiptera:Reduviidae) In Texas: Mitochondrial Genome Assembly, Trypanosoma Cruzi Detection, And Bacterial Community Analysis, Chissa-Louise Rivaldi

Biology Theses

The genus Triatoma contains vectors of the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, the pathogen responsible for Chagas disease. The following research presents several inductive studies to develop vector control approaches targeted to the genus or species level. Two-hundred and eighty-two insects were collected, identified, and tested for the presence of T. cruzi. Four species of the Triatoma genus were collected - the overall incidence of T. cruzi was 52% (T. gerstaeckeri -51%, T. lecticularia – 92%, other, 29%). From these 282 insects, the bacterial communities of eight specimens of T. gerstaeckeri were sequenced and analyzed using pyrosequencing technology. The bacterial communities …

Synthesis And Biological Evaluation Of N-Alkoxyphenyl-3-Hydroxynaphthalene-2-Carboxanilides, Eoghan Nevin, Aidan Coffey, Jim O'Mahony, Et. Al.

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

A series of fifteen new N-alkoxyphenylanilides of 3-hydroxynaphthalene-2-carboxylic acid was prepared and characterized. Primary in vitro screening of the synthesized compounds was performed against Staphylococcus aureus, three methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains, Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra and M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis. Some of the tested compounds showed antibacterial and antimycobacterial activity against the tested strains comparable with or higher than that of the standards ampicillin or rifampicin. 3-Hydroxy-N-(2-propoxyphenyl)naphthalene-2-carboxamide and N-[2-(but-2-yloxy)-phenyl]-3-hydroxynaphthalene-2-carboxamide had MIC = 12 µM against all methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains; thus their activity is 4-fold higher than that of ampicillin. The second mentioned compound as well as 3-hydroxy-N-[3-(prop-2-yloxy)phenyl]-naphthalene-2-carboxamide had MICs = …

Phylogeography Of Southeast Asian Flying Foxes (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae: Pteropus), Susan Man Shu Tsang

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Flying foxes (Pteropus) are a genus of Old World fruit bats that are important seed dispersers and pollinators for plants native to the 200,000+ islands in Southeast Asia, yet they are some of the most poorly known bats in the world. They comprise some of the largest known bat species, and are morphologically relatively conserved on the genus level. Pteropus is the most species-rich genus within Pteropodidae, though the origin for this diversity remains incompletely understood. In Chapter 1, I discuss the importance of Pteropus to the ecosystem and as reservoir hosts. In Chapter 2, a molecular phylogeny is presented …

Nsf Grant Helps Preserve Parasite Collections [Press Release], Scott Gardner, Leslie Reed

Scott L. Gardner Publications

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $500,000 grant that will allow four major parasite collections to be digitized. The collections are part of UNL's Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology. Scott Gardner (pictured) is the curator and director of the Manter Laboratory.

A $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation will allow the Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology to digitally preserve four major collections of parasite specimens donated to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln during the past five years.

Detection Of Hcmv Viral Il-10 (Vil-10) In Healthy Blood Donors, Vivian P. Young

Master's Theses

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is widespread in the general population and can establish lifelong latency with expression of a limited subset of viral genes. The UL111A gene is expressed during both lytic and latent infection, and at least two protein isoforms are produced. During lytic infection, the full length transcript yields cmvIL-10, a potent immunosuppressive viral ortholog of human IL-10 (hIL-10). Alternative splicing of the UL111A transcript yields a truncated protein, LAcmvIL-10, which is expressed during both lytic and latent infection but with a limited range of immunosuppressive functions. The two viral cytokines, collectively termed viral IL-10 (vIL-10), are identical in …

Single-Chain Rankl Provides Insights Into Rank Receptor Oligomerization And A Novel Approach To Osteoclast Inhibition, Julia Therese Warren

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disease characterized by bone resorption in excess of bone formation. The osteoclast is the sole bone resorbing cell and therefore provides an important avenue for novel therapeutic development. The mature osteoclast is derived from the monocyte/macrophage lineage, and its proper differentiation and function requires the interaction of receptor activator of NF-kB Ligand (RANKL) with its receptor RANK. RANKL exists as a homotrimer, with classical models of receptor activation assuming trimeric clustering of receptor as necessary for signal transduction. We have designed a novel single-chain RANKL (scRANKL) construct to test the assumption that the recruitment of three …

Molecular Characterization Of A Novel, Highly Protective Combination Monoclonal Antibody Therapy Against Chikungunya Virus, Pankaj Pal

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an Aedes mosquito-transmitted alphavirus that causes epidemics of a debilitating, often chronic polyarthritis in humans. Over five million people in Africa and Asia have been infected since 2005, and an outbreak occurred recently in Italy demonstrating the potential for a global epidemic. A strong antibody response is elicited during infection and the aim of this thesis was to develop a better understanding of how the humoral immune response can control CHIKV infection. We identified 230 new anti-CHIKV monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and tested their ability to inhibit infection of strains representing all three CHIKV genotypes (East/Central/South African, …

The Intrinsic Apoptotic Cascade In Hematopoiesis And Susceptibility To Therapy-Related Leukemia, Elise Peterson Lu

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Apoptosis and the DNA damage response have been implicated in hematopoietic development and differentiation, as well as in the pathogenesis of myelodysplastic syndrome (MS) and leukemia. However, the specific roles of direct mediators of apoptosis, such as caspases, in hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis have not been elucidated. In order to address this, we studied the effects of loss of Caspase-9, the initiator caspase of the intrinsic apoptotic cascade, and Apaf1, the key component of the apoptosome, on fetal and adult hematopoiesis. We first found that loss of these key regulators has significant effects on the hematopoietic stem and progenitor compartment, with …

Assessing Vascular Inflammation With Bioluminescence Imaging, Reece Joseph Goiffon

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and health care costs in the developed world and is often undiagnosed until clinical presentation with a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE). Plasma myeloperoxidase (MPO) content is an emerging biomarker for risk, progression, and prognosis at different stages of CVD. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) are currently used to measure clinical plasma MPO concentration, but ELISAs are costly and time-intensive. Luminol is a chemiluminescent compound with specificity for MPO activity in vivo, but is not sensitive enough for use as a bioluminescence reporter of plasma MPO oxidation. The luminol derivative L-012 …

Viral And Innate Immune Factors Controlling Disease Susceptibility During Chikungunya Virus Infection, Anjali Rohatgi

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a re-emerging pathogen that causes a high fever, painful arthritis and a macular rash. The current outbreak began in Kenya in 2004 and spread throughout the Indian Ocean area and Southeast Asia, infecting millions. During this outbreak, more severe disease manifestations, including lethality, were reported for the first time. To understand one possible reason for this change in severity, we explored the impact of genetic changes in the virus on disease pathogenesis. In addition, we dissected the role of type I interferon (IFN) subtypes in CHIKV infection. From these studies, we have gained important insight into …

Molecular Mechanism Of Cytokine Production By Human Lung Fibroblast In Response To Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Elastase, Kourtney Bass

Biology Theses

Pathogenicity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections can be heavily influenced by the host inflammatory responses. P. aeruginosa secretes several extracellular products such as lipopolysaccharide, exotoxin A, and elastase. This bacterium is widely studied in acute and chronic lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and Cystic Fibrosis (CF). In order to understand part of the underlying mechanism, we focused on the role of Pseudomonas aeruginosa elastase (PE) in provoking the host inflammatory response in an in vitro model. We hypothesized that PE stimulates cytokine and chemokine production by activating mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade through nuclear factor kappa …

Draft Genome Sequences Of Six Different Staphylococcus Epidermidis Clones, Isolated Individually From Preterm Neonates Presenting With Sepsis At Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary, Paul Walsh, M. Bekaert, J. Carroll, T. Manning, B. Kelly, A. O'Driscoll, X. Lu, C. Smith, P. Dickinson, K. Templeton, P. Ghazal, Roy D. Sleator

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Herein, we report the draft genome sequences of six individual Staphylococcus epidermidis clones, cultivated from blood taken from different preterm neonatal sepsis patients at the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom.

The Origin Of Fleas And The Genesis Of Plague, Alan L. Gillen

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Human history has been riddled by diseases spread by flea vectors including the bubonic plague. Recently, Madagascar has documented more than 100 cases. Fleas were part of God’s “very good” (Genesis 1:31) creation that transformed to an ectoparasitic condition after the Curse. Creation biologists continue to synthesize a working model of this conversion from environmental recyclers to parasites as a secondary state. Morphological design of the flea combined with its unique feeding ability has resulted in it being an exceptional vector for Yersinia pestis, the causative bacterium of the plague.

Gene Expression Associated With White Syndromes In A Reef Building Coral, Acropora Hyacinthus, Rachel M. Wright, Galina V. Aglyamova, Eli Meyer, Mikhail V. Matz

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: Corals are capable of launching diverse immune defenses at the site of direct contact with pathogens, but the molecular mechanisms of this activity and the colony-wide effects of such stressors remain poorly understood. Here we compared gene expression profiles in eight healthy Acropora hyacinthus colonies against eight colonies exhibiting tissue loss commonly associated with white syndromes, all collected from a natural reef environment near Palau. Two types of tissues were sampled from diseased corals: visibly affected and apparently healthy. Results: Tag-based RNA-Seq followed by weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified groups of co-regulated differentially expressed genes between all health …

Comparative Analysis Of Anti-Bd Bacteria From Six Malagasy Frog Species Of Ranomafana National Park, Kelsey Savage

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

As Malagasy amphibians are facing an impending extinction crisis from the lethal skin fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), it has become imperative to proactively mitigate the threat. Bd sporangia develop in the skin of infected amphibians and cause the skin to thicken, leading to ionic imbalance and eventual heart failure. It has been shown that certain bacterial species are able to inhibit Bd growth on amphibians by producing antifungal metabolites. Community-based probiotics are one approach used to combat chytridomycosis by inoculating an environment with Bd-inhibitory bacteria so that many amphibian species are treated at once. With this method, it is important …