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Peptide Presentation By Bat Mhc Class I Provides New Insight Into The Antiviral Immunity Of Bats, Dan Lu, Kefang Liu, Di Zhang, Can Yue, Qiong Lu, Hao Cheng, Liang Wang, Yan Chai, Jianxun Qi, Lin-Fa Wang, George F. Gao, William J. Liu

KIP Articles

No abstract provided.

Vitamin D Status And Risk Of Incident Tuberculosis Disease: A Nested Case-Control Study, Systematic Review, And Individual-Participant Data Meta-Analysis, Omowunmi Aibana, Chuan-Chin Huang, Said Aboud, Alberto Arnedo-Pena, Mercedes C. Becerra, Juan B. Bellido-Blasco, Ramesh Bhosale, Roger Calderon, Silvia Chiang, Jerome Galea

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: Few studies have evaluated the association between preexisting vitamin D deficiency and incident tuberculosis (TB). We assessed the impact of baseline vitamins D levels on TB disease risk.

Methods and findings: We assessed the association between baseline vitamin D and incident TB in a prospective cohort of 6,751 HIV-negative household contacts of TB patients enrolled between September 1, 2009, and August 29, 2012, in Lima, Peru. We screened for TB disease at 2, 6, and 12 months after enrollment. We defined cases as household contacts who developed TB disease at least 15 days after enrollment of the index patient. …

Are Microclimate Conditions In El Malpais National Monument Caves In New Mexico, Usa Suitable For Pseudogymnoascus Growth?, Terry J. Torres-Cruz, Andrea Porras-Alfaro, Nicole A. Caimi, Ogochukwu Nwabologu, Edward W. Strach, Kaitlyn J.H. Read, Jesse M. Young, Debbie C. Buecher, Diana E. Northup

International Journal of Speleology

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a bat disease caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans, which thrives in cold and very humid environments where bats frequently hibernate. Conidia of Pseudogymnoascus species are often documented on bats prior to the onset of WNS, but characterization of high-risk areas defined by microclimate cave conditions have been lacking. Investigating the occurrence of this fungal genus and appropriate environmental conditions to support P. destructans in southwestern U.S. caves is key to understanding the sites most likely to be impacted by WNS. Microclimate conditions in ten caves at El Malpais (ELMA) National Monument in New …

Antimicrobials From An Epigenetics Based Fungal Metabolite Screening Program, Danielle H. Demers, Bill J. Baker, Ala Azhari, Renee M. Fleeman, Dennis E. Kyle, Lindsey Neil Shaw

USF Patents

Novel antimicrobial compounds against drug targets such as Eskape pathogens, Leishmania donovani, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Clostridium difficile, Naegleria fowleri, and cancer are presented herein.

Early Progression To Active Tuberculosis Is A Highly Heritable Trait Driven By 3q23 In Peruvians, Yang Luo, Sara Suliman, Samira Asagari, Tiffany Amariuta, Yuriy Baglaenko, Marta Martinez-Bonet, Kazuyoshi Ishigaki, Maria Gutierrez-Arcelus, Roger Calderon, Jerome Galea

Social Work Faculty Publications

Of the 1.8 billion people worldwide infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, 5–15% will develop active tuberculosis (TB). Approximately half will progress to active TB within the first 18 months after infection, presumably because they fail to mount an effective initial immune response. Here, in a genome-wide genetic study of early TB progression, we genotype 4002 active TB cases and their household contacts in Peru. We quantify genetic heritability h_g² of early TB progression to be 21.2% (standard error 0.08). This suggests TB progression has a strong genetic basis, and is comparable to traits with well-established genetic bases. We …

Usf Women's Club Yearbook, 2019–2020, Usf Women's Club

USF Women’s Club Collection

Yearbook of the USF Women's Club. Inside is a list of past presidents, officers, committee chairmen, and members for 2019–2020. The booklet also includes a tribute to Grace Allen, interest groups, calendar of events, and a copy of the constitution and by-laws from the handbook.

Antimicrobials From An Epigenetics Based Fungal Metabolite Screening Program, Danielle H. Demers, Bill J. Baker, Ala Azhari, Renee M. Fleeman, Dennis E. Kyle, Lindsey Neil Shaw

USF Patents

Novel antimicrobial compounds against drug targets such as Eskape pathogens, Leishmania donovani, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Clostridium difficile, Naegleria fowleri, and cancer are presented herein.

Antibacterial S-Heterosubstituted Disulfides, Edward Turos, Praveen Ramaraju

USF Patents

Synthetically-derived S,S-heterodisubstituted disulfides that exhibit potent in vitro antibacterial activity against a variety of bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Francisella tularensis. The present invention provides compounds, methods and compositions effective to treat microbial/bacterial infections, and, especially, infections arising from bacteria which have developed resistance to conventional antibiotics.

Multiscale Model Of Regional Population Decline In Little Brown Bats Due To White‐Nose Syndrome, Andrew M. Kramer, Claire S. Teitelbaum, Ashton Griffin

KIP Articles

The introduced fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans is causing decline of several species of bats in North America, with some even at risk of extinction or extirpation. The severity of the epidemic of white‐nose syndrome caused by P. destructans has prompted investigation of the transmission and virulence of infection at multiple scales, but linking these scales is necessary to quantify the mechanisms of transmission and assess population‐scale declines. We built a model connecting within‐hibernaculum disease dynamics of little brown bats to regional‐scale dispersal, reproduction, and disease spread, including multiple plausible mechanisms of transmission. We parameterized the model using the approach of …

Design And Synthesis Of Novel Agents For The Treatment Of Tropical Diseases, Linda Corrinne Barbeto

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Infectious diseases have had an impact on populations since the beginning of humanity. Despite huge advances in the fight against these conditions, they continue to be the leading cause of death and disability for a large portion of the world’s populace. Those most adversely affected predominately live in the more improvised areas of the developing world. Often treatments are made inaccessible to these areas due to cost, complicated administration requirements, severe side effects, and / or compound instability. Even when treatments are available the accelerated development of resistance has created an urgent need for the creation of new molecules with …

Modulations Of Lipid Membranes Caused By Antimicrobial Agents And Helix 0 Of Endophilin, Nawal Kishore Khadka

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the cellular membrane interaction with membrane active biomolecules and antimicrobial agents provides an insight in their working mechanism. Here, we studied the effect of antimicrobial agents; a recently developed peptidomimetics E107-3 and colistin as well as the N-terminal helix H0, of Endophilin A1 on the lipid bilayer.

It is important to discern the interaction mechanism of antimicrobial peptides with lipid membranes in battling multidrug resistant bacterial pathogens. We study the modification of structural and mechanical properties with a recently reported peptidomimetic on lipid bilayer. The compound referred to as E107-3 is synthesized based on the acylated reduced amide scaffold …

A Small Rna And Dna Binding Protein Contribute To Biofilm Development In Bartonella Henselae, Udoka Okaro

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A biofilm, which is associated with 80% of chronic infections in humans, is formed when bacteria aggregate, attach to a substrate and secrete a matrix protecting the bacteria from host cell defenses and antibiotics. Bartonella henselae (B. henselae) is the causative agent of cat scratch disease, persistent bacteremia, and one of the most frequently reported causes of blood-culture negative endocarditis (BCNE) in patients. The ability of B. henselae to adhere to the heart valve, form a biofilm and vegetation to cause endocarditis increases the morbidity and mortality rate in infected patients. The presence of a trimeric autotransporter adhesin (TAA) called …

Risk And Resilience Pertaining To Mental Health Of Youth Attending A College In Kathmandu Who Were Exposed To The 2015 Earthquakes During Their Adolescence: A Mixed Method Study, Vinita Sharma

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Adverse mental health outcomes have been previously reported among survivors of natural disasters. Available studies mostly focus on risk factors and not resilience. In 2015, a series of earthquakes caused massive loss of lives and livelihood in Nepal. Epidemiological data pertaining to youth mental health in Nepal is limited. Information about the post-earthquake mental health of youth who were exposed to earthquakes during their adolescence in Nepal is scarce.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to address risk and resilience factors related to mental health among college-attending Nepali youth (18-20 years) exposed to the 2015 earthquake during their …

An Investigation Of The Effects Of The Parasitic Nematode Aplectana Hamatospicula On The Performance And Behavior Of Cuban Treefrogs (Osteopilus Septentrionalis), Kerri Surbaugh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parasitic infections are ubiquitous in nature, and host-parasite dynamics can have powerful effects on wildlife populations. Many species have evolved behavioral responses to infection that can help mitigate damage from parasites. Anorexia is a common response to infection observed throughout the animal kingdom. Reducing nutrient intake can help shift host resources from digestion to immunity, as well as limit resources available to parasites. Reduced feeding can weaken the host, but in some host-parasite interactions, this cost is less than that of maintaining an infection. Here, I describe an experiment aimed to explore the effects of the parasitic nematode Aplectana hamatospicula …

Field Trial Of A Probiotic Bacteria To Protect Bats From White-Nose Syndrome, Joseph R. Hoyt, Kate E. Langwing, Paul White

KIP Articles

Tools for reducing wildlife disease impacts are needed to conserve biodiversity. White-nose syndrome (WNS), caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, has caused widespread declines in North American bat populations and threatens several species with extinction. Few tools exist for managers to reduce WNS impacts. We tested the efficacy of a probiotic bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens, to reduce impacts of WNS in two simultaneous experiments with caged and free-flying Myotis lucifugus bats at a mine in Wisconsin, USA. In the cage experiment there was no difference in survival between control and P. fluorescens-treated bats. However, body mass, not infection intensity, predicted mortality, …

Evolutionary Dynamics Of Influenza Type B In The Presence Of Vaccination: An Ecological Study, Lindsey J. Fiedler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the evolutionary dynamics of influenza type B in human hosts is a public health concern as we strive to minimize the disease burden in seasonal epidemics. Vaccination is considered the best defense against contracting influenza, and everyone over the age of 6 months is advised to get vaccinated before each season. The effect that vaccine-acquired immunity has on the evolution of influenza B remains unclear. In the U.S., vaccine-uptake is irregular across the states, and the differing coverages present an opportunity to study how vaccination influences viral evolution. This thesis analyzes the evolutionary patterns of influenza B in the …

The Weekly Challenger, June 20, 2019, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The June 20, 2019, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

N2n N4-Disubstituted Quinazoline-2,4-Diamines And Uses Thereof, Roman Manetsch, Kurt S. Van Horn, Whittney Burda, Lindsey N. Shaw, Renee Fleeman, Megan Barber, David Lawrence Flanigan

USF Patents

Described herein are quinazoline-based compounds and formulations thereof. In some embodiments, the compounds and/or formulations thereof can be effective to inhibit and/or kill A. baumannii. Also described herein are methods of treating a subject in need thereof by administering to the subject in need thereof a quinazoline-based compound and/or formulation thereof to the subject in need thereof.

Culture-Based Analysis Of ‘Cave Silver’ Biofilms On Rocks In The Former Homestake Mine In South Dakota, Usa, Amanpreet K. Brar, David Bergmann

International Journal of Speleology

Tunnels in a warm, humid area of the 1478 m level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), located in a former gold mine in South Dakota, USA, host irregular, thin whitish, iridescent biofilms, which appear superficially similar to ‘cave silver’ biofilms described from limestone and lava tube caves, despite the higher rock temperature (32°C) and differing rock surface (phyllite) present at SURF. In this study, we investigated the diversity of cultivable bacteria constituting the cave silver by using several media: CN agar, CN gellan gum and 0.1X R2A agar. The highest colony count (CFU/g of sample) was observed on …

Anura Distribution And Richness In A Tropical Montane Forest In Monteverde, Costa Rica, June 2019, Elizabeth L. Mcdonald

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Tropical regions, especially tropical montane regions, are biodiversity hotspots for amphibians. In tropical montane forests, varying temperatures and precipitation along an elevational gradient create distinct Holdridge life-zones for the 51 species of frogs and toads in Monteverde, Costa Rica. However, changing climatic conditions, and other complex factors, have contributed to recent anuran declines in the Monteverde area and worldwide. Shifting abiotic conditions cause species to move to new areas with suitable conditions. Within this study, I establish a data set complimentary to previous baselines of anuran distributions in local areas. In doing so, current encountered distributions can be compared to …

On The Use Of Multimedia In Twitter Health Communication: Analysis Of Tweets Regarding The Zika Virus, Jungwon Yoon, Loni Hagen, James Andrews, Ryan Scharf, Thomas Keller, Eunkyung Chung

School of Information Faculty Publications

Introduction: This study investigated influences of multimedia tweets on retweetablity during public health crises, in order to provide evidence for facilitating effective use of Twitter for health communication.

Method: Using the Twitter stream API, a total of 359,043 Zika-related tweets were collected for analysis.

Analysis: The sampled tweets were quantitatively analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-squared tests. For content analysis, subsets of the dataset were manually coded.

Results: 1) text tweets were sent out more frequently than multimedia tweets, but multimedia tweets had higher retweetability, 2) tweets by government, mainstream news media, and online news media …

Localization Of Five Target Proteins In Tachyzoites Of Toxoplasma Gondii, Abigail M. Kaiser

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Five target genes were selected in Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites for localization studies. These five genes, detected through proteomics studies, included TgME49_227450, TgME49_223080, TgME49_262390, TgME49_230940, and TgME49_269620. Localization of these five target proteins is a first step to confirm their interaction with TgCrk2 and understand their function and role in TgCrk2 regulation of the tachyzoite cell cycle. Gene models for the targets were analyzed using ToxoDB and ApE analysis tools. Endogenous tagging constructs were created for each target. Transgenic parasites were created. Finally, localization analysis of the target proteins in tachyzoites was completed using immunofluorescent microscopy following. One protein was found …

Using The Consolidated Framework For Implementation Research To Investigate Daily Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (Emtricitabine/Tenofovir Df) Implementation Via Community-Based Hiv Testing Sites In Florida, Deanne E. Turner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a daily pill that can reduce a person’s chances of acquiring HIV. HIV testing and counseling is a critical point during which non-clinical staff could intervene, discuss and/or refer clients for PrEP. However, not all HIV testing/counseling staff take part in PrEP implementation in the same way. This study investigated: 1) the underlying PrEP implementation subgroups of staff who perform HIV testing and 2) PrEP implementation as a function of key constructs from the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).

Methods: This study was a mixed methods concurrent triangulation design, in which qualitative and quantitative …

Enhancing Immunotherapeutic Interventions For Treatment Of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Kamira K. Maharaj

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common leukemia in developed countries. It is characterized by the accumulation of CD5+ B lymphocytes in the peripheral blood, bone marrow, and lymphoid tissues of affected patients. Patients experience lymphadenopathy, fatigue, and are severely immunocompromised. Management of disease and symptoms is possible with chemo-immunotherapy for higher risk patients; however, CLL remains incurable unless bone marrow transplant is performed. Identification of novel targets and optimization of current therapeutics is therefore still necessary. The new targeted therapies are at the forefront of development for CLL treatment, but it remains challenging to maximize their efficacies while …

Understanding The Adoption Process Of An Hpv Vaccine School-Entry Requirement In Puerto Rico, Coralia Vázquez-Otero

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the US. Infection with low-risk HPV (i.e., 6 and 11) can cause genital warts, and persistent infection with high-risk HPV types (i.e., HPV 16 and 18) can progress to cancer. Currently, there is an HPV vaccine that is recommended for boys and girls, aged 11 to 12. Healthy People 2020 established a national objective of 80% completion of HPV vaccination among children aged 13 to 15 years old. Although the HPV vaccine is proven to be a safe and effective primary prevention strategy, uptake and completion rates remain …

The Potential Of Marine Microbes, Flora And Fauna In Drug Discovery, Santana Alexa Lavonia Thomas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Natural products are chemical compounds synthesized by a living organism. These compounds have been utilized by humans from ancient times to the present for their pharmacological and biological activities. Terrestrial organisms are considered a lucrative source of bioactive compounds and chemical diversity. Within the past 60 years, the marine environment has presented its potential as a validated source for structural diversity and biologically active compounds. Technology has given access from shallow waters down to the abyssal plane for exploration and investigation of the inhabitants. Marine organisms have displayed their benefits in the pharmaceutical industry with the approval of several marine-derived …

Understanding Immunometabolic And Suppressive Factors That Impact Cancer Development, Rebecca Swearingen Hesterberg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The immune system is responsible for surveillance against pathogens and malignancies and adoptive transfer of antigen-specific T is a powerful new cancer treatment option. There is a clinical need to understand more about the normal regulatory processes that prevent immunosurveillance and how to manipulate this for clinical benefit. This project aims to understand T cells from three different angles. First, the biological role of the negative regulator cereblon (CRBN) was investigated in CD8+ T cells and my studies showed that higher levels of specific derivatives downstream of the amino acid glutamine may be beneficial to T cells in the immune …

Bat Coronaviruses In China, Yi Fan, Kai Zhao, Zheng-Li Shi

KIP Articles

During the past two decades, three zoonotic coronaviruses have been identified as the cause of large-scale disease outbreaks–Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and Swine Acute Diarrhea Syndrome (SADS). SARS and MERS emerged in 2003 and 2012, respectively, and caused a worldwide pandemic that claimed thousands of human lives, while SADS struck the swine industry in 2017. They have common characteristics, such as they are all highly pathogenic to humans or livestock, their agents originated from bats, and two of them originated in China. Thus, it is highly likely that future SARS- or MERS-like coronavirus outbreaks …

Bats And Coronaviruses, Arinjay Banerjee, Kirsten Kulcsar, Vikram Misra, Matthew Frieman, Karen Mossman

KIP Articles

Bats are speculated to be reservoirs of several emerging viruses including coronaviruses (CoVs) that cause serious disease in humans and agricultural animals. These include CoVs that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) and severe acute diarrhea syndrome (SADS). Bats that are naturally infected or experimentally infected do not demonstrate clinical signs of disease. These observations have allowed researchers to speculate that bats are the likely reservoirs or ancestral hosts for several CoVs. In this review, we follow the CoV outbreaks that are speculated to have originated in bats. We review studies …

Understanding Health-Related Behavior Among Adolescents Living With Hiv In Lima, Peru, Carly A. Rodriguez, Emiliano Valle, Jerome Galea, Milagros Wong, Lenka Kolevic, Maribel Muñoz, Leonid Lecca, Molly F. Franke

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: The global HIV burden among adolescents ages 10–19 is growing. This population concurrently confronts the multifaceted challenges of adolescence and living with HIV. With the goal of informing future interventions tailored to this group, we assessed sexual activity, HIV diagnosis disclosure, combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) adherence, and drug use among adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) in Lima, Peru.

Methods: Adolescents at risk or with a history of suboptimal cART adherence completed a self-administered, health behaviors survey and participated in support group sessions, which were audio recorded and used as a qualitative data source. Additionally, we conducted in-depth interviews with …