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Molecular Biology Of A Surface-Exposed Protein Family Of Bartonella Bacilliformis, Hannah Fay

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Bartonella bacilliformis is a gram negative alpha-proteobacterium native to the Andes of South America. Bartonella causes Carrion’s disease, a potentially life threatening disease transmitted by the sand fly. It has a mortality rate of 88% when untreated and 10% when treated. Diagnostics and control measures for the disease are underdeveloped and no vaccine is available. Recent outbreaks indicate that the range of the pathogen is increasing with nearly 1.7 million people in western South America at risk. Little is known about the epidemiology and pathogenesis of B. bacilliformis. Recent research done by UC San Diego found a paralogous gene …

Soci 270.01: Introduction To Development Sociology, Teresa R. Sobieszczyk

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2016-2020

No abstract provided.

Psci 337.01: Model United Nations, Nicholas Potratz

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Gbld 194.04: Reimagining Global Health - Biosocial Perspectives, Gilbert Quintero

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

The Plant Phenology Monitoring Design For The National Ecological Observatory Network, Sarah Elmendorf, Katherine D. Jones, Benjamin I. Cook, Jeffrey M. Diez, Carolyn A. F. Enquist, Rebecca A. Hufft, Matthew O. Jones, Susan J. Mazer, Abraham J. Miller-Rushing, David J. P. Moore, Mark D. Schwartz, Jake F. Weltzin

Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group Publications

Phenology is an integrative science that comprises the study of recurring biological activities or events. In an era of rapidly changing climate, the relationship between the timing of those events and environmental cues such as temperature, snowmelt, water availability, or day length are of particular interest. This article provides an overview of the observer-based plant phenology sampling conducted by the U.S. National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), the resulting data, and the rationale behind the design. Trained technicians will conduct regular in situ observations of plant phenology at all terrestrial NEON sites for the 30-yr life of the observatory. Standardized and …

Analysis Of Envelope Glycoprotein Complex Of Arenaviruses, Sundaresh Shankar

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Arenaviruses, the causative agents of severe hemorrhagic fevers, are endemic in rodent populations and can be transmitted to humans by contact. Without effective treatment or licensed vaccines, these viruses pose serious public health and biodefense concern. The sole treatment option is the off-label use of the nucleoside analog ribavirin, which is effective only when given at an early stage of infection and shows significant toxicity in humans. Hence, there exists a clear need for developing better therapies. Arenavirus entry into the cell is initiated by the virus envelope glycoprotein complex (GPC), primed to undergo conformational changes triggered by the acidic …

Development Of Replication-Competent Vsv-Based Vaccines For Protection Against Hantaviruses, Joshua Ovila Marceau

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study looks at the effects of the position and numbers of foreign immunogens in the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) genome on vector attenuation and vaccine efficacy. To generate the recombinant vaccine vectors, a VSV Indiana strain was modified by removing the native VSV glycoprotein and replacing it with one or two foreign glycoproteins; one derived from the filovirus Zaire ebolavirus (ZEBOVgp) and the other from the hantavirus Andes virus (ANDVgpc). Two monovalent (rVSVΔG-ANDVgpc and rVSVΔG-ZEBOVgp) and two bivalent (rVSVΔG-ANDVgpc-ZEBOVgp and rVSVΔG-ZEBOVgp-ANDVgpc recombinant vectors were compared. All vectors were attenuated in cell culture and in immunocompetent hamsters when compared to …

Living With Hiv: A Potential Source Of Trauma In Children And Adolescents, Kaitlyn P. Ahlers

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Due to advances in medical treatment for HIV/AIDS, individuals infected with HIV are living longer. HIV is now considered a chronic illness, and there has been limited research into the mental health problems that can arise from living with HIV, particularly among children and adolescents. Past research has demonstrated that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can result from experiences related to chronic illness. Importantly, HIV could affect children and adolescents in a distinct way when compared to any other incurable, chronic illness. The present study examined the mental health issues faced by children and adolescents who are infected with HIV as …

January 2016 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Student-Faculty Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Research Synopsis: Complement Resistance In Bartonella Species, Benjamin Mason

Additional DHC Research, Creative Scholarship, Papers, and Presentations

Of the 31 validated species in the genus Bartonella, 11 are agents of serious infectious diseases of humans, among them Carrión’s disease, trench fever, cat-scratch disease, and bacillary angiomatosis. Bartonella are extremely widespread, having been found in virtually every type of mammal surveyed. As facultative intracellular parasites employing hemotrophy (infection of red blood cells), the key to their success comes in their ability to survive within the bloodstream of their host or reservoir. It has been demonstrated that bartonellae are resistant to the effects of complement proteins in serum, the primary agents of the innate immune system. Although this effect …

December 2015 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Colonization Of Lutzomyia Verrucarum And Lutzomyia Longipalpis Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) By Bartonella Bacilliformis, The Etiologic Agent Of Carrion's Disease, James M. Battisti, Phillip G. Lawyer, Michael F. Minnick

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Bartonella bacilliformis is a pathogenic bacterium transmitted to humans presumably by bites of phlebotomine sand flies, infection with which results in a bi-phasic syndrome termed Carrion's disease. After constructing a low-passage GFP-labeled strain of B. bacilliformis, we artificially infected Lutzomyia verrucarum and L. longipalpis populations, and subsequently monitored colonization of sand flies by fluorescence microscopy. Initially, colonization of the two fly species was indistinguishable, with bacteria exhibiting a high degree of motility, yet still confined to the abdominal midgut. After 48h, B. bacilliformis transitioned from bacillus-shape to a non-motile, small coccoid form and appeared to be digested along with …

Proteins Of Bartonella Bacilliformis:Candidates For Vaccine Development, Cesar Henriquez-Camocho, Palmira Ventosilla, Michael F. Minnick, Joaquim Ruiz, Ciro Maguina

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Bartonella bacilliformis is the etiologic agent of Carrion's disease suggest complex adaptations by the bacterium to the human host, with the overall objectives of persistence, maintenance of a reservoir state for vectorial transmission, and immune evasion. These events include a multitude of biochemical and genetic mechanisms involving both bacterial and host proteins. This review focuses on proteins involved in interactions between B. bacilliformis and human host. Some of them (e.g., flagellin, Brps, IalB, FtsZ, Hbp/Pap31, and other outer membrane proteins) are potential protein antigen candidates for a synthetic vaccine.

August 2015 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

March 2015 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Psci 191.01: Global Public Health - Insights From Experience, Peter Koehn

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Dna Methylation In Humans And Dogs: Evaluating The Impact Of Nutritional And Particulate Exposures, Luke Benjamin Montrose

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Asthma is among the most common chronic diseases in children, among the leading causes of hospitalization for children, and one of the leading causes of school absenteeism. Discovery of preventable factors and the underlying mechanisms that exacerbate asthma among prevalent cases is important for mitigating the health burden of this childhood disease. Environmental factors such as exposure to particulate matter (PM) or nutritional deficiencies can lead to poor respiratory health among susceptible children. Recent animal studies suggest that PM exposures and dietary nutrients may influence asthma pathways through epigenetic mechanisms. Epigenetic modifications are heritable changes that can regulate gene activity …

Biom 402.01: Medical Bacteriology And Mycology, Michael F. Minnick

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Biom 227.01: Vectors And Parasites, Willard O. Granath, Tom G. Schwan

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Socioeconomic Influences On Health Care Seeking Behavior In Humla, Nepal, Hannah Kuehl

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Mobile medical camps (MMCs) are common in Nepal, as well as other parts of the world. MMCs in Nepal provide health care resources that are not available through the government health system, due to Nepal’s weak health infrastructure. Although MMCs are problematic for a variety of reasons, they continue to play a role in health care delivery in remote settings the world over. Despite the fact that MMCs are increasingly common in many countries around the world, their patient populations and their health outcomes are poorly understood. This thesis is an analysis of socioeconomic influences within a select group of …

Global Response To Local Problems:The Global Health Community Response To The Ebola Outbreak Of 2014, Nicole Thelen

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Health crises are often met with much support from the global health aid communities, who strive to contain the current health crisis and improve the conditions of the affected society. The recent Ebola outbreak of 2014 is no exception. Driven by public panic and media coverage, the global health community responded in force, dispatching aid organizations, monetary help, and military assistance to both assist those affected with the disease and prevent it from spreading. The World Health Organization, along with Doctors without Borders and many other global organizations, swept in to provide aid to the affected areas. This project examines …

Non-Coding Rnas Of The Q Fever Agent, Coxiella Burnetii, Indu Ramesh Warrier

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen that undergoes a biphasic developmental cycle, alternating between a small cell variant (SCV) and a large cell variant (LCV). Despite the remarkable niche and life cycle of C. burnetii, little is known about its modes of regulation and the roles that non-coding RNAs play in its growth and development. One such element is the intervening sequence (IVS); a 444-nt RNA element that is inserted within helix 45 of CoxiellaÆs precursor 23S rRNA. C. burnetii may have acquired IVS through horizontal transfer, and it has been subsequently maintained by all strains of C. …

The Valley-Of-Death: Reciprocal Sign Epistasis Constrains Adaptive Trajectories In A Constant, Nutrient Limiting Environment, Kami E. Chiotti, Daniel J. Kvitek, Karen H. Schmidt, Gregory Koniges, Katja Schwartz, Elizabeth A. Donckels, Frank Rosenzweig, Gavin Sherlock

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The fitness landscape is a powerful metaphor for describing the relationship between genotype and phenotype for a population under selection. However, empirical data as to the topography of fitness landscapes are limited, owing to difficulties in measuring fitness for large numbers of genotypes under any condition. We previously reported a case of reciprocal sign epistasis (RSE), where two mutations individually increased yeast fitness in a glucose-limited environment, but reduced fitness when combined, suggesting the existence of two peaks on the fitness landscape. We sought to determine whether a ridge connected these peaks so that populations founded by one mutant could …

Biom 400.01: Medical Microbiology, Amanda J. Brinkworth

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Bioo 475.00: Mammalogy Laboratory, David Paul Hendricks

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Bioo 475.00: Mammalogy, David Paul Hendricks

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Limitations To Estimating Bacterial Cross-Species Transmission Using Genetic And Genomic Markers: Inferences From Simulation Modeling, Julio A. Benavides, Paul C. Cross, Gordon Luikart, Scott Creel

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Cross-species transmission (CST) of bacterial pathogens has major implications for human health, livestock, and wildlife management because it determines whether control actions in one species may have subsequent effects on other potential host species. The study of bacterial transmission has benefitted from methods measuring two types of genetic variation: variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). However, it is unclear whether these data can distinguish between different epidemiological scenarios. We used a simulation model with two host species and known transmission rates (within and between species) to evaluate the utility of these markers for inferring CST. …

Oroya Fever And Verruga Peruana: Bartonelloses Unique To South America, Michael F. Minnick, Burt E. Anderson, Amorce Lima, James M. Battisti, Phillip G. Lawyer, Richard J. Birtles

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Bartonella bacilliformis is the bacterial agent of Carrión's disease and is presumed to be transmitted between humans by phlebotomine sand flies. Carrión's disease is endemic to high-altitude valleys of the South American Andes, and the first reported outbreak (1871) resulted in over 4,000 casualties. Since then, numerous outbreaks have been documented in endemic regions, and over the last two decades, outbreaks have occurred at atypical elevations, strongly suggesting that the area of endemicity is expanding. Approximately 1.7 million South Americans are estimated to be at risk in an area covering roughly 145,000 km2 of Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru. Although disease …

Developments In Transnational Research Linkages: Evidence From U.S. Higher-Education Activity, Peter Koehn

Political Science Faculty Publications

In our knowledge-driven era, multiple and mutual benefits accrue from transnational research linkages. The article identifies important directions in transnational research collaborations involving U.S. universities revealed by key dimensions of 369 projects profiled on a U.S. higher-education association’s database. Project initiators, principal research fields, regional and country distributions, and the sources and amounts of funding for different types of transnational research activity are selected for analysis. The balanced total portfolio of reported current research projects by region suggests that U.S. university principal investigators increasingly recognize the value of collaborative knowledge generation in the Global South as well as in other …

Household Reporting Of Childhood Respiratory Health And Air Pollution In Rural Alaska Native Communities, Desirae N. Ware, Johnnye Lewis, Scarlett Hopkins, Bert Boyer, Luke Montrose, Curis W. Noonan, Erin O. Semmens, Tony J. Ward

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background. Air pollution is an important contributor to respiratory disease in children.

Objective. To examine associations between household reporting of childhood respiratory conditions and household characteristics related to air pollution in Alaska Native communities.

Design. In-home surveys were administered in 2 rural regions of Alaska. The 12-month prevalence of respiratory conditions was summarized by region and age. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated to describe associations between respiratory health and household and air quality characteristics.

Results. Household-reported respiratory health data were collected for 561 children in 328 households. In 1 region, 33.6% of children aged/or bronchitis. Children with these conditions …