Digital Commons Network^™

A Herpesvirus Encoded Deubiquitinase Is A Novel Neuroinvasive Determinant, Joy I. Lee, Patricia J. Sollars, Scott B. Baver, Gary E. Pickard, Mindy Leelawong, Gregory A. Smith

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The neuroinvasive property of several alpha-herpesviruses underlies an uncommon infectious process that includes the establishment of life-long latent infections in sensory neurons of the peripheral nervous system. Several herpesvirus proteins are required for replication and dissemination within the nervous system, indicating that exploiting the nervous system as a niche for productive infection requires a specialized set of functions encoded by the virus. Whether initial entry into the nervous system from peripheral tissues also requires specialized viral functions is not known. Here we show that a conserved deubiquitinase domain embedded within a pseudorabies virus structural protein, pUL36, is essential for initial …

Spontaneous Idiopathic Arteritis Of The Testicular Artery In Raccoons (Procyon Lotor), A. N. Hamir, M. V. Palmer, H. Li, J. Stasko, D. G. Rogers

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The testes and the spermatic cord of raccoons (Procyon lotor, kits to adult breeders; n = 48) were examined. Segmental arteritis confined to the extratesticular portions of the testicular artery was present in raccoons of all ages. The arterial changes were seen in laboratory-confined experimental and control animals as well as in wild-caught raccoons. The lesions consisted of proliferative endarteritis with presence of inflammatory cells within the intima, media, and the adventitial regions of most affected vessels. Some aspects of the proliferative arterial lesions were reminiscent of systemic necrotizing vasculitis (polyarteritis nodosa), an immunologically mediated condition of animals and humans. …

Rhabditid Nematode-Associated Ophthalmitis And Meningoencephalomyelitis In Captive Asian Horned Frogs (Megophrys Montana) [Case Reports], Denise M. Imai, Steven A. Nadler, Deena Brenner, Taryn A. Donovan, Allan P. Pessier

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Between 2006 and 2008, 4 captive Asian horned frogs (Megophrys montana) were diagnosed with ocular and neurologic disease associated with rhabditid nematodiasis. Mortality, either spontaneous or by humane euthanasia, was high (3/4, 75%). Gross and histologic findings included varying degrees of ulcerative keratitis, histiocytic uveitis and retinitis, meningoencephalomyelitis, and epidermal chromatophore (iridophore) hyperplasia with intralesional nematodes. Entry into the host was presumed to be by direct invasion of the skin and the cornea with migration through the optic nerve to the brain and spinal cord. One frog was diagnosed with rhabditid nematodiasis antemortem, and clinical signs and lesions …

Endohelminths Of A Snake Mackerel, Gempylus Serpens (Trichiuroidea: Gempylidae), From The Gulf Of Mexico, Charles K. Blend, Norman O. Dronen, James S. Franks, George W. Benz

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Endohelminths are reported from a female snake mackerel, Gempylus serpens (Trichiuroidea: Gempylidae), captured from a depth of 61 m in the Gulf of Mexico 140 km south of the mouth of Mobile Bay, Alabama, in August 1998. A diverse endohelminth parasite fauna was found: 29 plerocercoid type I tetraphyllideans from the lower intestine; 4 didymozoid metacercariae allocated to the collective group Monilicaecum and one didymozoid metacercaria of the collective group Torticaecum from the pyloric cecum; one juvenile Gonocerca phycidis from the stomach; and 5 larvae (L3 stage) comprising 3 species of Anisakis from the pyloric cecum. These nematodes were identified …

An Overview Of Systematics And Evolution Of Ticks, Santiago Nava, Alberto A. Guglielmone, Atilio J. Mangold

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

All species of ticks (Acari: Ixodida) are grouped into three families: Argasidae (186 species), Ixodidae (692 species), and Nuttalliellidae (monotypic). Molecular markers have been developed and applied for tick studies along with conventional techniques. The origin of ticks is during the pre-mid Cretaceous period (with both the Argasidae and Ixodidae being established in the middle Cretaceous). Primeval hosts were probably reptiles or amphibians. The Argasidae contains two to five subfamilies according to authors but relationships among its members are far from resolved. The Ixodidae were formed by the basal Prostriata group (genus Ixodes, subfamily Ixodinae) and the Metastriata group …

Book Review: The Mermaid’S Tale: Four Billion Years Of Cooperation In The Making Of Living Things By Kenneth M. Weiss And Anne V. Buchanan, Harvard University Press, 2009, Daniel R. Brooks

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Book review of The Mermaid’s Tale: Four Billion Years of Cooperation in the Making of Living Things by Kenneth M. Weiss and Anne V. Buchanan. Harvard University Press, 2009, ISBN: 9780674031937.

Evaluation Of Some Vulval Appendages In Nematode Taxonomy, Lynn K. Carta, Zafar A. Handoo, Eric P. Hoberg, Eric F. Erbe, William P. Wergin

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

A survey of the nature and phylogenetic distribution of nematode vulval appendages revealed 3 major classes based on composition, position, and orientation that included membranes, flaps, and epiptygmata. Minor classes included cuticular inflations, protruding vulvar appendages of extruded gonadal tissues, vulval ridges, and peri-vulval pits. Vulval membranes were found in Mermithida, Triplonchida, Chromadorida, Rhabditidae, Panagrolaimidae, Tylenchida, and Trichostrongylidae. Vulval flaps were found in Desmodoroidea, Mermithida, Oxyuroidea, Tylenchida, Rhabditida, and Trichostrongyloidea. Epiptygmata were present within Aphelenchida, Tylenchida, Rhabditida, including the diverged Steinernematidae, and Enoplida. Within the Rhabditida, vulval ridges occurred in Cervidellus, peri-vulval pits in Strongyloides, cuticular inflations in …

Acanthocephala From Amphibians In China With The Description Of A New Species Of Pseudoacanthocephalus (Echinorhynchida), Sarah E. Bush, Donald W. Duszynski, Brent B. Nickol

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Amphibians of 24 species were surveyed for acanthocephalans in four nature reserves in two Chinese provinces during 2004-2006. Pseudoacanthocephalus bufonis (Echinorhynchida) occurred in both nature reserves in Guangxi Province. In the Jing Xi County Provincial Nature Reserve, P. bufonis infected 36 of 62 amphibians at a mean intensity of 9.9. Less than 250 km away, at Shiwandashan National Nature Reserve, 5 of 20 amphibians were infected at a mean intensity of 6.2. Pseudoacanthocephalus bufonis was not found in either of the reserves in Guizhou Province. In the Kuan Kuoshui Nature Reserve, 9 of 28 amphibians were parasitized at a mean …

Bats Of Montserrat: Population Fluctuation And Response To Hurricanes And Volcanoes, 1978-2005, Scott C. Pedersen, Gary G. Kwiecinski, Peter A. Larsen, Matthew N. Morton, Rick A. Adams, Hugh H. Genoways, Vicki J. Swier

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

None of the species of bats occurring in the northern Lesser Antilles is endemic to that region, suggesting considerable dispersal among islands. However, movement patterns of bats in the Lesser Antilles are poorly known and thought to be limited because interisland distances present barriers to dispersal for most species. Genetic data imply restricted dispersal among the islands for the cave-roosting Brachyphylla caoernarum, whereas Artibeus jamaicensis apparently moves among the islands more freely (Carstens et al. 2004). Nevertheless, we do not believe that Antillean bats strike out on their own on a regular basis to move over water from one …

Nagmia Rodmani N. Sp., Nagmia Cisloi N. Sp. And Probolitrema Richiardii (López, 1888) (Gorgoderidae: Anaporrhutinae) From Elasmobranchs In The Gulf Of California, Mexico, Stephen S. Curran, Charles K. Blend, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

The generic diagnosis of Nagmia Nagaty, 1930, is emended to include species having some vitelline follicles extending into the extracecal space. Two new species belonging in the genus are described from the Gulf of California: Nagmia rodmani n. sp. from the body cavity of the giant electric ray, Narcine entemedor Jordan and Starks, 1895, and Nagmia cisloi n. sp. from the body cavity of the smoothtail mobula, Mobula thurstoni (Lloyd, 1908). Both species are distinguished from each other and the 13 other known congeners by the number of testicular follicles, ratio of widths of oral sucker to ventral sucker, and …

Regional Differences In Florida Red Snapper Reproduction, Nancy J. Brown-Peterson, Karen M. Burns, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) is a valuable commercial and recreational species throughout the southeastern United States and Caribbean. Recent reports of reduction in red snapper stock sizes throughout this range highlight the necessity for a better understanding of the biology of the species. Except for Florida panhandle red snapper, little is known of the reproduction of red snapper off Florida. We collected red snapper from recreational-for-hire boats in two distinct areas of Florida to examine potential regional differences in their reproductive biology. Samples were obtained from the Florida East Coast (EC—St. Augustine to Melbourne, N = 66) from …

A Molecular View Of The Superfamily Dioctophymatoidea (Nematoda), Anson V.A. Koehler, Eric P. Hoberg, Fernando Torres-Pérez, Joseph A. Cook

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Monophyly of the superfamily Dioctophymatoidea was assessed based on analyses of DNA sequence variation among 3 of 4 constituent genera (5 species). Represented is the first molecular phylogenetic evaluation of the Dioctophymatoidea using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference of 18S nuclear DNA (786 base-pair [bp] segment) and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 (293 bp) genes. Dioctophymatoidea is monophyletic and includes a clade with Dioctophyme renale and Eustrongylides ignotus (Dioctophymatidae) as the sister of Soboliphyme baturini, Soboliphyme jamesoni, and Soboliphyme abei (Soboliphymatidae). Within Soboliphymatidae, S. baturini is the sister of S. jamesoni and S. abei.

An Algorithm For Identifying Novel Targets Of Transcription Factor Families: Application To Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 Targets, Yue Jiang, Bojan Cukic, Donald A. Adjeroh, Heath D. Skinner, Jie Lin, Qingxi J. Shen, Bing-Hua Jiang

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research

Efficient and effective analysis of the growing genomic databases requires the development of adequate computational tools. We introduce a fast method based on the suffix tree data structure for predicting novel targets of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) from huge genome databases. The suffix tree data structure has two powerful applications here: one is to extract unknown patterns from multiple strings/sequences in linear time; the other is to search multiple strings/sequences using multiple patterns in linear time. Using 15 known HIF-1 target gene sequences as a training set, we extracted 105 common patterns that all occur in the 15 training genes …

Regulation Of Innate Immune Responses By Bovine Herpesvirus 1 And Infected Cell Protein 0 (Bicp0), Clinton Jones

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) infected cell protein 0 (bICP0) is an important transcriptional regulatory protein that stimulates productive infection. In transient transfection assays, bICP0 also inhibits interferon dependent transcription. bICP0 can induce degradation of interferon stimulatory factor 3 (IRF3), a cellular transcription factor that is crucial for activating beta interferon (IFN-β) promoter activity. Recent studies also concluded that interactions between bICP0 and IRF7 inhibit trans-activation of IFN-β promoter activity. The C3HC4 zinc RING (really important new gene) finger located near the amino terminus of bICP0 is important for all known functions of bICP0. A recombinant virus that contains a single …

The Identification Of Cattle Nematode Parasites Resistant To Multiple Classes Of Anthelmintics In A Commercial Cattle Population In The Us, Louis C. Gasbarre, Larry L. Smith, J. Ralph Lichtenfels, Patricia A. Pilitt

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Resistance to modern anthelmintics by ruminant nematode parasites is an increasing problem throughout the world. To date the problem has largely been reported in parasites of small ruminants, but there are increasing reports of such resistance in nematodes recovered from cattle. Until now there have been no published reports of drug resistant parasites from cattle in North America. In 2002 a producer in the upper Midwest who backgrounds young cattle acquired from the southeastern US experienced lower than expected weight gain as well as apparent parasitic gastroenteritis in his cattle during the fall. Fecal sample results supported the suspicion that …

Coccidia (Apicomplexa : Eimeriidae) From The Lagomorph Lepus Tolai In Mongolia, Scott Lyell Gardner, Nathan A. Seggerman, Nyamsuren Batsaikhan, Sumiya Ganzorig, David S. Tinnin, Donald W. Duszynski

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

In 1999, a single specimen of the Tolai hare, Lepus tolai Pallas, 1778, from the Gobi region of Mongolia was examined and had a new species of eimerian parasite in its intestinal contents. Eimeria gobiensis n. sp. is relatively large; it possesses 2 oocyst walls and a very well-developed oocyst residuum. Oocysts of the new species possess a thick wall with a double layer, a massive 3-layered micropyle, and are ellipsoidal, with average length and width of the oocyst of 38.6 × 24.2 μm, respectively. The range in measurements of these oocysts extends from 27.3 to 49.2 μm in length …

Characterization Of Dictyocaulus Species (Nematoda: Trichostrongyloidea) From Three Species Of Wild Ruminants In Northwestern Spain, Ramon A. Carreno, Natividad Diez-Baños, Maria Del Rosario Hidalgo-Argüello, Steven A. Nadler

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Specimens of Dictyocaulus spp. were extracted from the respiratory tracts of 3 ruminant hosts including roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), red deer (Cervus elaphus), and chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) from wild populations in the province of Leo´n, northwestern Spain. The near-complete nuclear small-subunit ribosomal RNA gene, and 2 regions of the large-subunit ribosomal RNA gene, were amplified by PCR and sequenced. The SSU rDNA gene sequences indicated a high level of similarity between the isolate from C. elaphus and the published sequences for Dictyocaulus eckerti. SSU rDNA gene sequences were identical in the isolates from …

Systematic Position Of Pseudocorynosoma And Andracantha (Acanthocephala, Polymorphidae) Based On Nuclear And Mitochondrial Gene Sequences, Martín García-Varela

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Species of Pseudocorynosoma are North and South American acanthocephalans that use waterfowl as definitive hosts and amphipods as intermediate hosts, whereas species of Andracantha occur in fish-eating birds with a worldwide distribution. Pseudocorynosoma and Andracantha were originally described as Corynosoma (now restricted to endoparasites of marine mammals). Morphologically, Andracantha is distinct from other genera of Polymorphidae in possessing 2 fields of spines on the trunk, whereas Corynosoma and Pseudocorynosoma have a single field. A recent phylogenetic hypothesis based on morphological characters suggested that Andracantha is closely related to Corynosoma, whereas Pseudocorynosoma was of uncertain phylogenetic position within the Polymorphidae. …

Trematoda (Platyhelminthes) Of The Gulf Of Mexico, Robin M. Overstreet, Joshua O. Cook, Richard W. Heard

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

First paragraph:

The platyhelminth class Trematoda, consisting of the subclasses Aspidogastrea and Digenea, contains individuals referred to as digeneans, trematodes, or flukes. Aspidogastreans, not digeneans in the strict sense2 number about 80 species in total (Rohde 2005), but adults in the Gulf of Mexico of 4 species have been reported from teleost and chondrichthyan fishes (Hendrix and Overstreet I 977) and one from a turtle (Wharton 1939). Consequently, this chapter deals with trematodes rather than just digeneans, even though all the records but the 5 refer to digeneans. Trematoda is the largest group of platyhelminths, and trematode adults, other than …

Historical Account Of The Two Family-Group Names In Use For The Single Accepted Family Comprising The "Fish Blood Flukes", Stephen A. Bullard, Kirsten Jensen, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

The family-group name for the “fish blood flukes” is unstable, with both “Aporocotylidae Odhner, 1912” and “Sanguinicolidae von Graff, 1907” in use for the single family. Although “Sanguinicolidae von Graff, 1907” (or “Graff, 1907”) has been a widely-accepted family-group name for the fish blood flukes subsequent to Yamaguti'’s 1954 and 1958 synoptical publications (“Systema Helminthum”), a critical examination of the relevant literature, much of it published in German during 1900 through 1926, reveals that “Aporocotylidae Odhner, 1912” is the earliest available family-group name for these flukes. The name Aporocotylidae, moreover, was in wide usage by alpha taxonomists before …

Caecincola Longiscens N. Sp. (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae) From The White Crappie, Pomoxis Annularis, In Mississippi, U.S.A., Stephen S. Curran, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

A new cryptogonimid trematode is described from the white crappie, Pomoxis annularis Rafinesque, 1818, collected from Lake Chotard, an oxbow lake directly connected to the Mississippi River in Issaquena County, and from a small ephemeral oxbow periodically connected with the Pascagoula River in Jackson County, both in Mississippi, U.S.A. Caecincola longiscens n. sp. is characterized by having an elongated body with a length to width ratio of 5.5-7.5:1, tandem testes, an elongated tubular seminal vesicle, and vitelline follicles confined to the hindbody.

Rhipidocotyle Tridecapapillata N. Sp. And Prosorhynchoides Potamoensis N. Sp. (Digenea: Bucephalidae) From Inland Fishes In Mississippi, U.S.A., Stephen S. Curran, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Rhipidocotyle tridecapapillata n. sp. is described from the intestine of the white bass, Morone chrysops (Rafinesque, 1820), from the Luxapalila River in Lowndes County, Mississippi, U.S.A. The new species has 13 papillae that protrude laterally from the anterior rim of the dorsal lobe of the rhynchus, enabling easy differentiation from the only known freshwater North American congeners, Rhipidocotyle papillosa (Woodhead, 1929), which has 15 papillae, and Rhipidocotyle septpapillata Krull, 1934, which has 7 papillae. Prosorhynchoides potamoensis n. sp. is described from the pyloric ceca and intestine of the white crappie, Pomoxis annularis Rafinesque, 1818, from the Pascagoula River in Jackson …

Morphological Deformities As Biomarkers In Fish From Contaminated Rivers In Taiwan, Peter Lin Sun, William E. Hawkins, Robin M. Overstreet, Nancy J. Brown-Peterson

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) were collected seasonally from four contaminated rivers in southwestern Taiwan for studies of morphological deformities that could be used as biomarkers of contamination. Morphological deformities found in tilapia were separated into 15 categories. Overall, the prevalence of deformities such as split fins, lower lip extension and gill deformities were significantly related to various water quality parameters, including low DO and high ammonium, lead and zinc concentrations. The persistence of tilapia in polluted waters and the development of a suite of morphological deformities suggest that tilapia can be used as sentinels of non-point source pollution in rivers.

Lipid Uptake And Metabolism In The Parasitic Protozoan Giardia Lamblia., Mayte Yichoy

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Giardia lamblia is a protozoan parasite that causes various intestinal syndromes, and it is a common cause of water-borne illness worldwide, both in developed and developing countries. Giardia attaches to the mucosal epithelia of the duodenum below the bile duct, where it is exposed to bile salts and dietary lipids. G. lamblia is unable to synthesize lipids de novo and must therefore scavenge necessary lipids from its extracellular environment and remodel them as needed. However, the current lipidomic analysis (presented in this Dissertation) has revealed that while the Giardia lipidome is rich in phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and phosphatidylglycerol (PG), …

The Association Of Human Leukocyte Antigen(Hla) Alleles And Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2dm) Among Mexican Americans (Ma), Kantibhai Motiram Patel

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The epidemic of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is ranked as a major public health priority across the United States and especially in the El Paso, Texas region. The risk for the development of T2DM is greater in minority groups, particularly among Mexican Americans (MA) who comprise approximately 78% of El Paso's population. The growing incidence of T2DM in this group is typically attributed to increase in weight (obesity). The incidence of diabetes may also be influenced by genetic factors that are unique to this group. Several earlier studies have identified genetic markers for type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). These …

Worm-Web Search: A Content-Based Image Retrieval (Cbir) System For The Parasite Image Collection In The Harold W. Manter Laboratory Of Parasitology, University Of Nebraska State Mueum, Ramalingamurthy Meduri, Ashok Samal, Scott Lyell Gardner

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

We have developed a prototype web-accessible content-based image retrieval (CBIR) system that allows internet/web-based sharing of biological collections that contain large numbers of images of archived specimens. This system will enable both researchers and educators to access verified, high quality data on biological collections that are available in any museum with digitized holdings. The CBIR system that we are testing can play an important role in understanding global biodiversity because no knowledge of the specific names of specimens need be known before useful information can be extracted from such databases. Our CBIR framework allows users to search image collections using …

Ecological Niche Of The 2003 West Nile Virus Epidemic In The Northern Great Plains Of The United States, Michael C. Wimberly, Michael B. Hildreth, Stephen P. Boyte, Eric Lindquist, Lon Kightlinger

Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

he incidence of West Nile virus (WNv) has remained high in the northern Great Plains compared to the rest of the United States. However, the reasons for the sustained high risk of WNv transmission in this region have not been determined. To assess the environmental drivers of WNv in the northern Great Plains, we analyzed the county-level spatial pattern of human cases during the 2003 epidemic across a seven-state region.

Methodology/Principal Findings

County-level data on WNv cases were examined using spatial cluster analysis, and were used to fit statistical models with weather, climate, and land use variables as predictors. …

Site Directed Mutagensis Of Bacteriophage Hk639 And Identification Of Its Integration Site, Madhuri Jonnalagadda

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Bacteriophages affect bacterial evolution, pathogenesis and global nutrient cycling. They are also the most numerous and diverse group of biological entities on the planet [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Members of the Lambda phage family share a similar genetic organization and control early gene expression by suppressing transcription, a process known as antitermination. Transcription antitermination in Lambda is mediated by a phage-encoded protein whereas in lambdoid phage HK022, antitermination is mediated by a phage-encoded RNA molecules. Recent results suggest that another bacteriophage called HK639 also appears to use RNA-mediated antitermination. To characterize this newly identified phage we generated site …

Ecological Niche Of The 2003 West Nile Virus Epidemic In The Northern Great Plains Of The United States, Michael Wimberly, Michael B. Hildreth, Stephen P. Boyte, Erik Lindquist, Lon Kightlinger

United States Public Health Resources

Background: The incidence of West Nile virus (WNv) has remained high in the northern Great Plains compared to the rest of the United States. However, the reasons for the sustained high risk of WNv transmission in this region have not been determined. To assess the environmental drivers of WNv in the northern Great Plains, we analyzed the county-level spatial pattern of human cases during the 2003 epidemic across a seven-state region.
Methodology/Principal Findings: County-level data on WNv cases were examined using spatial cluster analysis, and were used to fit statistical models with weather, climate, and land use variables as predictors. …

The Role Of Msa In The Global Regulation Of Virulence In Staphylococcus Aureus, Vijayaraj Nagarajan

Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen causing life threatening diseases in humans. Previously we showed that msa modulates the activity of sarA (Staphylococcal accessory regulator), which is one of a major global regulator of virulence in S. aureus. The objective of this study is to characterize the role of msa (Modulator of SarA) in the global regulation of virulence in S. aureus. Structure and function predictions were done using several computational tools and approaches to understand the nature of msa. A novel S. aureus microarray meta-database (SAMMD) was designed and developed to compare and contrast other transcriptomes with msa transcriptome. …