Digital Commons Network^™

Rhodotorula Minuta Fungemia In A Ewe Lamb, C. G. Chitko-Mckown, K. A. Leymaster, M. P. Heaton, D. D. Griffin, J. K. Veatch, S. A. Jones, M. L. Clawson

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

An 8-month-old crossbred ewe, normal upon physical examination, was humanely euthanized for tissue collection. After approximately 3 weeks in tissue culture, fungi began budding out of cells obtained from the choroid plexus. After an additional 3 weeks, budding was observed in kidney cell cultures and eventually in monocyte cultures as well. Serum from the lamb was submitted to the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Colorado State University for fungal diagnosis and was found negative for Aspergillus, Blastomyces, Coccidioidomycosis and Histoplasmosis. DNA was isolated from fungi collected from tissue culture supernatants and used in a set of pan-fungal PCR assays with …

Bovine Herpes Virus 1 (Bhv-1) And Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (Hsv-1) Promote Survival Of Latently Infected Sensory Neurons, In Part By Inhibiting Apoptosis, Clinton Jones

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

α-Herpesvirinae subfamily members, including herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and bovine herpes virus 1 (BHV-1), initiate infection in mucosal surfaces. BHV-1 and HSV-1 enter sensory neurons by cell-cell spread where a burst of viral gene expression occurs. When compared to non-neuronal cells, viral gene expression is quickly extinguished in sensory neurons resulting in neuronal survival and latency. The HSV-1 latency associated transcript (LAT), which is abundantly expressed in latently infected neurons, inhibits apoptosis, viral transcription, and productive infection, and directly or indirectly enhances reactivation from latency in small animal models. Three anti-apoptosis genes can be substituted for LAT, which …

Association Between Antibodies To Multiple Infectious And Food Antigens And New Onset Schizophrenia Among Us Military Personnel, Yuanzhang Li, Natalya S. Weber, Jared A. Fisher, Robert H. Yolken, David N. Cowan, Rakel A. Larsen, David W. Niebuhr

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Introduction: Multiple studies have documented immune activation in many individuals with schizophrenia suggesting that antigens capable of generating a prolonged immune response may be important environmental factors inmany cases of this disorder.While existing studies have found single-agent associations of antibodies to food and neurotropic infectious agents with schizophrenia, a simultaneous examination of multiple agents may shed light on agent interactions or possible etiopathogenic pathways. Methods: We used traditional regression and novel statistical techniques to examine associations of single and combined infectious and food antigens with schizophrenia. We tested 6106 serum samples from 855 cases and 1165 matched controls. …

Isolation And Genomic Characterization Of Chaoyang Virus Strain Rok144 From Aedes Vexansnipponii From The Republic Of Korea, John S. Lee, Nathan D. Grubaugh, John P. Kondig, Michael J. Turell, Heung-Chul Kim, Terry A. Klein, Monica L. O’Guinn

United States Army: Publications

During June 2003, mosquito surveillance was conducted at a US Army installation and a US Military training site 2 km south of the demilitarized zone, Republic of Korea. Mosquitoes were collected using Mosquito Magnets^TM, sorted to species, and assayed for the presence of arboviruses. From the 3,149 mosquitoes that were sorted into126 pools, one Aedes vexan snipponii pool (out of 73 pools) tested positive for flavivirus RNA by reverse transcription-PCR. After isolation from C6/36 cell culture supernatant, the viral genome was sequenced and found to be 98.9% related to Chaoyang virus, a potential arthropod-specific flavivirus. This report details …

Construction And Nonclinical Testing Of A Puumala Virus Synthetic M Gene-Based Dna Vaccine, R. L. Brocato, M. J. Josleyn, V. Wahl-Jensen, C. S. Schmaljohn, J. W. Hooper

United States Army: Publications

Puumala virus (PUUV) is a causative agent of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). Although PUUV-associated HFRS does not result in high case-fatality rates, the social and economic impact is considerable. There is no licensed vaccine or specific therapeutic to prevent or treat HFRS. Here we report the synthesis of a codon-optimized, full-lengthMsegment open reading frame and its cloning into a DNA vaccine vector to produce the plasmid pWRG/PUU-M(s2). pWRG/PUU-M(s2) delivered by gene gun produced high-titer neutralizing antibodies in hamsters and nonhuman primates. Vaccination with pWRG/ PUU-M(s2) protected hamsters against infection with PUUV but not against infection by related HFRS-associated …

Genome Sequence Of Moraxella Macacae 0408225, A Novel Bacterial Species Isolated From A Cynomolgus Macaque With Epistaxis, Jason T. Ladner, Chris A. Whitehouse, Galina I. Koroleva, Gustavo F. Palacios

United States Army: Publications

Moraxella macacae is a recently described bacterial species that has been associated with at least two outbreaks of epistaxis in macaques. Here we present the first genome sequence of this novel species, isolated from a symptomatic cynomolgus macaque at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases.

Clinical Use Of Colistin Induces Cross-Resistance To Host Antimicrobials In Acinetobacter Baumannii, Brooke A. Napier, Eileen M. Burd, Sarah W. Satola, Stephanie M. Cagle, Susan M. Ray, Patrick Mcgann, Jan Pohl, Emil P. Lesho, David S. Weiss

United States Army: Publications

The alarming rise in antibiotic resistance has led to an increase in patient mortality and health care costs. This problem is compounded by the absence of new antibiotics close to regulatory approval. Acinetobacter baumannii is a human pathogen that causes infections primarily in patients in intensive care units (ICUs) and is highly antibiotic resistant. Colistin is one of the last-line antibiotics for treating A. baumannii infections; however, colistin-resistant strains are becoming increasingly common. This cationic antibiotic attacks negatively charged bacterial membranes in a manner similar to that seen with cationic antimicrobials of the innate immune system. We therefore set out …

Spatio-Temporal Dynamics Of Pneumonia In Bighorn Sheep, E. Frances Cassirer, Raina K. Plowright, Kezia R. Manlove, Paul C. Cross, Andrew P. Dobson, Kathleen A. Potter, Peter J. Hudson

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

1. Bighorn sheep mortality related to pneumonia is a primary factor limiting population recovery across western North America, but management has been constrained by an incomplete understanding of the disease. We analysed patterns of pneumonia-caused mortality over 14 years in 16 interconnected bighorn sheep populations to gain insights into underlying disease processes.

2. We observed four age-structured classes of annual pneumonia mortality patterns: all-age, lamb-only, secondary all-age and adult-only. Although there was considerable variability within classes, overall they differed in persistence within and impact on populations. Years with pneumonia-induced mortality occurring simultaneously across age classes (i.e. all-age) appeared to be …

Theory, Measurement And Hard Times: Some Issues For Hiv/Aids Research, Samuel R. Friedman, Milagros Sandoval, Pedro Mateu-Gelabert, Diana Rossi, Marya Gwadz, Kirk Dombrowski, Pavlo Smyrnov, Tetyana Basylyeva, Enrique R. Pouget, David Perlman

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Economic and political instability and related “big events” are widespread throughout the globe. Although they sometimes lead to epidemic HIV outbreaks, sometimes they do not—and we do not understand why. Current behavioural theories do not adequately address these processes, and thus cannot provide optimal guidance for effective intervention. Based in part on a critique of our prior “pathways” model of big events, we suggest that cultural–historical activity theory (CHAT) may provide a useful framework for HIV research in this area. Using CHAT concepts, we also suggest a number of areas in which new measures should be developed to make such …

Wiidiife Translocation As A Management Alternative At Airports, Paul D. Curtis, Jonathon D. Cepek, Rebecca Mihalco, Thomas W. Seamans, Scott R. Craven

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife in urban settings may be a welcome sight for many, but negative interactions between people and various wild species are increasing (Conover et a!. 1995, Conover 2002). Wildlife populations are commonly managed in part to reduce these conflicts, particularly in high-risk areas such as roadways and airports (Conover 2002). However, the public often opposes lethal control or management methods perceived as causing harm to nuisance animals (Reiter et al. 1999, Conover 2002, Treves et al. 2006), and attitudes vary considerably depending on the particular wildlife species involved (Kretser et a!. 2009). Consequently, a variety of nonlethal management approaches are …

Comparative Analysis Of Edwardsiella Isolates From Fish In The Eastern United States Identifies Two Distinct Genetic Taxa Amongst Organisms Phenotypically Classified As E. Tarda, Matt J. Griffin, Sylvie M. Quiniou, Theresa Cody, Maki Tabuchi, Cynthia Ware, Rocco C. Cipriano, Michael J. Mauel, Esteban Soto

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Edwardsiella tarda, a Gram-negative member of the family Enterobacteriaceae, has been implicated in significant losses in aquaculture facilities worldwide. Here, we assessed the intra-specific variability of E. tarda isolates from 4 different fish species in the eastern United States. Repetitive sequence mediated PCR (rep-PCR) using 4 different primer sets (ERIC I & II, ERIC II, BOX, and GTG5) and multi-locus sequence analysis of 16S SSU rDNA, groEl, gyrA, gyrB, pho, pgi, pgm, and rpoA gene fragments identified two distinct genotypes of E. tarda (DNA group I; DNA group II). Isolates that fell into DNA group II demonstrated more similarity …

Disparate Host Immunity To Mycobacterium Avium Subsp. Paratuberculosis Antigens In Calves Inoculated With M. Avium Subsp. Paratuberculosis, M. Avium Subsp. Avium, M. Kansasii, And M. Bovis, Judith R. Stabel, W.R. Waters, John Bannantine, M.V. Palmer

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The cross-reactivity of mycobacterial antigens in immune-based diagnostic assays has been a major concern and a criticism of the current tests that are used for the detection of paratuberculosis. In the present study, Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratu- berculosis recombinant proteins were evaluated for antigenic specificity compared to a whole-cell sonicate preparation (MPS). Measures of cell-mediated immunity to M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis antigens were compared in calves inoculated with live M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis, M. avium subsp. avium (M. avium), Mycobacterium kansasii, or Mycobacterium bovis. Gamma interferon (IFN-􏰋) responses to MPS were observed in all calves that were exposed to mycobacteria …

Prevalence Of Avian Paramyxovirus 1 And Avian Influenza Virus In Double-Crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax Auritus) In Eastern North America, Tiffanie A. Cross, D. M. Arsnoe, R. B. Minnis, D. T. King, S. Swafford, K. Pedersen, J. C. Owen

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Although it is well established that wild birds, such as cormorants, carry virulent avian paramyxovirus serotype 1 (APMV-1; causative agent of Newcastle disease) and avian influenza virus (AIV), the prevalence of these viruses among Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) in the Great Lakes region of North America has not been rigorously studied. We determined the prevalences of APMV-1 and AIV in Double-crested Cormorants from the interior population of eastern North America. From 2009 to 2011, oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs and serum samples were collected from 1,957 individual Double-crested Cormorants, ranging from chicks to breeding adults, on breeding colony sites …

Procedures For Identifying Infectious Prions After Passage Through The Digestive System Of An Avian Species, Justin W. Fischer, Tracy A. Nichols, Gregory E. Phillips, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Infectious prion (PrP^Res) material is likely the cause of fatal, neurodegenerative transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) diseases¹. Transmission of TSE diseases, such as chronic wasting disease (CWD), is presumed to be from animal to animal^2,3 as well as from environmental sources^4-6. Scavengers and carnivores have potential to translocate PrP^Res material through consumption and excretion of CWD contaminated carrion. Recent work has documented passage of PrP^Res material through the digestive system of American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos), a common North American scavenger⁷.

We describe procedures used to document passage of …

First Descriptions Of Dicyemid Mesozoans (Dicyemida: Dicyemidae) From Australian Octopus (Octopodidae) And Cuttlefish (Sepiidae), Including A New Record Of Dicyemennea In Australian Waters, Sarah R. Catalano

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Three new species of dicyemid mesozoans are described for the first time from Australian octopus and cuttlefish species. Dicyemennea floscephalum sp. n. is described from Octopus berrima Stranks et Norman (southern keeled octopus) collected from Spencer Gulf and Gulf St. Vincent, South Australia, Australia and represents the first description of a species of Dicyemennea Whitman, 1883 from Australian waters. Dicyema papuceum sp. n. and D. furuyi sp. n. are described from Sepia papuensis Hoyle (Papuan cuttlefish) collected from Shark Bay, Western Australia, Australia. Dicyemennea floscephalum sp. n. is a medium to large species that reaches approximately 4.9 mm in …

Combinatorial Evaluation Of In Vivo Distribution Of Polyanhydride Particle-Based Platforms For Vaccine Delivery, Latrisha K. Petersen, Lucas M. Huntimer, Katharine Walz, Amanda E. Ramer-Tait, Michael Wannemueler, Balaji Narasimhan

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Several challenges are associated with current vaccine strategies, including repeated immunizations, poor patient compliance, and limited approved routes for delivery, which may hinder induction of protective immunity. Thus, there is a need for new vaccine adjuvants capable of multi-route administration and prolonged antigen release at the site of administration by providing a depot within tissue. In this work, we designed a combinatorial platform to investigate the in vivo distribution, depot effect, and localized persistence of polyanhydride nanoparticles as a function of nanoparticle chemistry and administration route. Our observations indicated that the route of administration differentially affected tissue residence times. All …

Manipulation Of Cellular Processing Bodies And Their Constituents By Viruses, Asit K. Pattnaik, Phat X. Dinh

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The processing bodies (PBs) are a form of cytoplasmic aggregates that house the cellular RNA decay machinery as well as many RNA-binding proteins and mRNAs. The PBs are constitutively present in eukaryotic cells and are involved in maintaining cellular homeostasis by regulating RNA metabolism, cell signaling, and survival. Virus infections result in modification of the PBs and their constituents. Many viruses induce compositionally altered PBs, while many others use specific components of the PBs for their replication. PB constituents are also known to restrict virus replication by a variety of mechanisms. Further, continuing studies in this rapidly emerging field of …

Deep Sequencing And Genome-Wide Analysis Reveals The Expansion Of Microrna Genes In The Gall Midge Mayetiola Destructor, Chitvan Khajuria, Christie E. Williams, Mustapha El Bouhssini, R. Jeff Whitworth, Stephen Richards, Jeffrey J. Stuart, Ming-Shun Chen

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that play critical roles in regulating post transcriptional gene expression. Gall midges encompass a large group of insects that are of economic importance and also possess fascinating biological traits. The gall midge Mayetiola destructor, commonly known as the Hessian fly, is a destructive pest of wheat and model organism for studying gall midge biology and insect – host plant interactions.

Results: In this study, we systematically analyzed miRNAs from the Hessian fly. Deep-sequencing a Hessian fly larval transcriptome led to the identification of 89 miRNA species that are either identical or very …

Multidisciplinary Approach To Epizootiology And Pathogenesis Of Bat Rabies Viruses In The United States, J. A. Ellison, S. R. Johnson, N. Kuzmina, A. T. Gilbert, W. C. Carson, Kurt C. Vercauteren, C. E. Rupprecht

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Zoonotic disease surveillance is typically initiated after an animal pathogen has caused disease in humans. Early detection of potentially high-risk pathogens within animal hosts may facilitate medical interventions to cope with an emerging disease. To effectively spillover to a novel host, a pathogen may undergo genetic changes resulting in varying transmission potential in the new host and potentially to humans. Rabies virus (RABV) is one model pathogen to consider for studying the dynamics of emerging infectious diseases under both laboratory and field conditions. The evolutionary history of RABV is characterized by regularly documented spillover infections and a series of notable …

A Description Of Neoechinorhynchus (Neoechinorhynchus) Veropesoi N. Sp. (Acanthocephala: Neoechinorhynchidae) From The Intestine Of The Silver Croaker Fish Plagioscion Squamosissimus (Heckel, 1840) (Osteichthyes: Sciaenidae) Off The East Coast Of Brazil, Francisco Tiago De Vasconcelos Melo, P. A.F.B. Costa, E. G. Giese, Scott Lyell Gardner, J. N. Santos

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Plagioscion squamosissimus (Heckel, 1840) (Osteichthyes: Sciaenidae) is considered piscivorous and is a generalist species endemic to the Amazon region. This fish is an important part of the natural ecosystems in which it occurs and provides basic functional components in the food web. The genus Neoechinorhynchus Stiles & Hassall, 1905 is distributed worldwide and parasitizes fish and turtles, but there are few reports of parasites of this genus in South America, due to the high diversity of fish that can be found in this region. A new species of thorny-headed worm (Acanthocephala: Neoechinorhynchidae) is described from P. squamosissimus from Guajará Bay, …

Paleoparasitology: The Origin Of Human Parasites; Paleoparasitologia: A Origem Dos Parasitas Humanos, Adauto Araújo, Karl Reinhard, Luis Fernando Ferreira, Elisa Pucu, Pedro Paulo Chieffi

Karl Reinhard Publications

Parasitism is composed by three subsystems: the parasite, the host, and the environment. There are no organisms that cannot be parasitized. The relationship between a parasite and its host species most of the time do not result in damage or disease to the host. However, in a parasitic disease the presence of a given parasite is always necessary, at least in a given moment of the infection. Some parasite species that infect humans were inherited from pre-hominids, and were shared with other phylogenetically close host species, but other parasite species were acquired from the environment as humans evolved. Human migration …

Pseudorabies (Aujeszky’S Disease), Kerri Pedersen, Yvonne Nadler

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Deciphering Serology To Understand The Ecology Of Infectious Diseases In Wildlife, Amy T. Gilbert, A. R. Fooks, D. T. S. Hayman, D. L. Horton, T. Muller, R. Plowright, A. J. Peel, R. Bowen, J. L. Wood, J. Miils, A. A. Cunningham, C. E. Rupprecht

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The ecology of infectious disease in wildlife has become a pivotal theme in animal and public health. Studies of infectious disease ecology rely on robust surveillance of pathogens in reservoir hosts, often based on serology, which is the detection of specific antibodies in the blood and is used to infer infection history. However, serological data can be inaccurate for inference to infection history for a variety of reasons. Two major aspects in any serological test can substantially impact results and interpretation of antibody prevalence data: cross-reactivity and cut-off thresholds used to discriminate positive and negative reactions. Given the ubiquitous use …

Topological And Historical Considerations For Infectious Disease Transmission Among Injecting Drug Users In Bushwick, Brooklyn (Usa), Kirk Dombrowski, Richard Curtis, Samuel Friedman, Bilal Khan

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Recent interest by physicists in social networks and disease transmission factors has prompted debate over the topology of degree distributions in sexual networks. Social network researchers have been critical of “scale-free” Barabasi-Albert approaches, and largely rejected the preferential attachment, “rich-get-richer” assumptions that underlie that model. Instead, research on sexual networks has pointed to the importance of homophily and local sexual norms in dictating degree distributions, and thus disease transmission thresholds. Injecting Drug User (IDU) network topologies may differ from the emerging models of sexual networks, however. Degree distribution analysis of a Brooklyn, NY, IDU network indicates a different topology than …

Engaging Teenagers With Science Through Comics, Amy N. Spiegel, Julia Mcquillan, Peter Halpin, Camillia Matuk, Judy Diamond

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

It is increasingly important for all citizens, and especially youth, to understand how viruses impact our health, communities and environment. Particularly for youth less interested in traditional science learning materials, comics may provide a way to engage teenagers with scientific information about viruses. We compared the impacts of different formats of educational materials on teenagers’ knowledge of, attitudes toward, and engagement with information about viruses. High school students (N = 873) were randomly assigned to read either a high quality comic or essay about viruses. Latent class analysis grouped youth into one of four categories that captured a range from …

Nwrc Annual Publications List – 2013

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Worms, Nematoda, Scott Lyell Gardner

Scott L. Gardner Publications

Nematodes are the most speciose phylum of metazoa on earth. Not only do they occur in huge numbers as parasites of all known animal groups, but also they are found in the soils, as parasites of plants, and in large numbers in the most extreme environments, from the Antarctic dry valleys to the benthos of the ocean. They are extremely variable in their morphological characteristics, with each group showing morphological adapta­tions to the environment that they inhabit. Soil-dwelling forms are extremely small; many marine species have long and complex setae; and parasitic species man­ifest amazingly great reproductive potential and large …

Human Health And The Neolithic Revolution: An Overview Of Impacts Of The Agricultural Transition On Oral Health, Epidemiology, And The Human Body, Katherine J. Latham

Nebraska Anthropologist

The transition from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to dependence on agricultural production is commonly considered one of the most important achievements of human history. This transition, often referred to as the Neolithic Revolution, ushered in a variety of changes in human dietary intake, food processing and procurement methods, settlement patterns, and physical activity. Skeletal analyses of human remains from early agricultural centers throughout the world indicate that this revolution significantly affected overall human health. This paper will address some of the drastic effects of this transition as evidenced by craniofacial changes related to masticatory function, declines in oral health, increased spread …

Recent Advances On The Use Of Structural Biology For The Design Of Novel Envelope Immunogens Of Hiv-1, Shi-Hua Xiang

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Many efforts have been made in the worldwide quest for a prophylactic HIV vaccine to end the AIDS pandemic, but none has yet succeeded. The lessons learned have repeatedly informed us that the traditional or conventional approaches directly using the pathogens or subunits will not be sufficient for an effective HIV/AIDS vaccine. Recent advances in structure-based technology have shown some promise in the quest for a better immunogen in HIV vaccine development. According to the basic binding structural relationship of an antigen and an antibody, structure-based antigen design could bring some hope for the development of an effective vaccine against …

The Highly Conserved Layer-3 Component Of The Hiv-1 Gp120 Inner Domain Is Critical For Cd4-Required Conformational Transitions, Anik Désormeaux, Mathieu Coutu, Halima Medjahed, Beatriz Pacheco, Alon Herschhorn, Christopher Gu, Shi-Hua Xiang, Youdong Mao, Joseph Sodroski, Andrés Finzi

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

The trimeric envelope glycoprotein (Env) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) mediates virus entry into host cells. CD4 engagement with the gp120 exterior envelope glycoprotein subunit represents the first step during HIV-1 entry. CD4-induced conformational changes in the gp120 inner domain involve three potentially flexible topological layers (layers 1, 2, and 3). Structural rearrangements between layer 1 and layer 2 have been shown to facilitate the transition of the envelope glycoprotein trimer from the unliganded to the CD4-bound state and to stabilize gp120-CD4 interaction. However, our understanding of CD4-induced conformational changes in the gp120 inner domain remains incomplete. Here, …