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Angiostrongylus Cantonensis: Epidemiologic Review, Location-Specific Habitat Modelling, And Surveillance In Hillsborough County, Florida, U.S.A., Brad Christian Perich

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a parasitic nematode endemic to tropical and subtropical regions and is the leading cause of human eosinophilic meningitis. The parasite is commonly known as rat lungworm because the primary host in its lifecycle is the rat. A clinical overview of rat lungworm infection is presented, followed by a literature review of rat lungworm epidemiology, risk factors, and surveillance projects. Data collected from previous snail surveys in Florida was considered alongside elevation, population per square kilometer, median household income by zip code territory, and normalized difference vegetation index specific to the geographic coordinates from which the snail samples …

Novel Role Of Histone Deacetylase 11 (Hdac11) In Regulating Normal And Malignant Hematopoiesis, Jie Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

During hematopoiesis, multilineage progenitor cells and the precursors are committed to individual hematopoietic lineages. In normal myelopoiesis, the immature myeloid cells (IMCs) differentiate into macrophages, neutrophils or dendritic cells. However, under tumor burden, these IMCs differentiate into myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) result in an up-regulation of immune suppressive factors and pro-tumor effect. The development of normal or malignant is tightly controlled by endogenous signals such as transcription factors and epigenetic regulations. HDAC11 is the newest identified members of the histone deacetylase (HDAC) family. Previous study in our group had identified HDAC11 as a negative regulator of interleukin 10 (IL-10) …

Spatial-Temporal Distribution Of Mosquito Larval Hot Spots In Papoli, Uganda: A Community-Based Approach To Mosquito Control, Ryan E. Tokarz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mosquito species of the Anopheles gambaie complex are the predominant vectors of malaria transmission throughout sub-Saharan Africa. These mosquitoes tend to be endophilic, as well as anthropophilic, making them prime candidates for disease transmission. Within the same region, related mosquito vectors play a significant role in the transmission of additional human and zoonotic diseases. Furthermore, mosquito nuisance biting is an immense issue that cannot be ignored in terms of its impact on African communities. Depending on the respective factors involved, mosquito control programs throughout the continent have attempted to tackle these issues in a multitude of ways. This research approached …

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Of Targeted Herpes Zoster Vaccination In Adults 50-59 At Increased Cardiovascular Risk, Kathleen M. Glassner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Over the last twenty years the incidence of herpes zoster (HZ) infection, also known as shingles, has been increasing among adults for unknown reasons. The economic burden of HZ is currently estimated at over $1 billion per year in the United States (U.S.) and is expected to increase as the susceptible adult population ages. HZ is caused by a re-activation of the varicella zoster virus (VZV), chicken pox, and more than 95% of adults living today carry the virus with a lifetime risk of 1 in 3 for developing HZ. In 2006 the FDA approved a vaccine for the …

Evaluation Of A Microsphere-Based Immunoassay (Mia) In Measuring Diagnostic And Prognostic Markers Of Dengue Virus Infection, Jason H. Ambrose

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Infections with dengue viruses (DENV) constitute both a global problem as well as locally in Florida. DENV comprise four distinct serotypes of single-stranded RNA viruses and belong to the family Flaviviridae. DENV are among the most medically important arboviruses in the world and cases may currently exceed 400 million per annum. Additionally, dengue established its first recorded endemic transmission cycle in the state of Florida in over a half century, first within the Florida Keys during 2009-10 followed by an unrelated outbreak in Martin County in 2013. The clinical profile of DENV infections ranges from a mild febrile illness …

The Ecology Of Antibiotic Resistance: Sources And Persistence Of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci And Antibiotic Resistant Genes In Aquatic Environments, Suzanne M. Young

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The growing crisis of antibiotic resistance is a major threat to ecosystems and human health. Infections caused by known and emerging antibiotic resistant pathogens are on the rise globally, with approximately 700,000 deaths per year caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria (1). In the United States, infections from antibiotic resistant bacteria cause more than 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths (2). Antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes are released into aquatic ecosystems through hospital waste, residential sewer lines and animal agricultural waste streams. Animal agriculture accounts for approximately 70% of antibiotic use in the United States (3). In agricultural ecosystems, …

Water, Sanitation, And Citizenship: Perceptions Of Water Scarcity, Reuse, And Sustainability In Valparaiso De Goias, Brazil, Paola Andrea Gonzalez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Access to reliable water and sanitation are two important goals to improve livelihoods around the world. Providing access to improved and safe water resources that are equitable and appropriate to local needs is important to improve sustainability long-term. In addition, framing access to water and sanitation as basic human rights is often used as a rationale in developing new water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions in developing countries around the world. But not all countries consider access to safe water and sanitation as a human right. In the thesis, the politics of improving and investment in water access and sanitation provision …

Mechanism Elucidation And Inhibitor Discovery Against Serine And Metallo-Beta-Lactamases Involved In Bacterial Antibiotic Resistance, Orville A. Pemberton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The emergence and proliferation of Gram-negative bacteria expressing β-lactamases is a significant threat to human health. β-Lactamases are enzymes that degrade the β-lactam antibiotics (e.g., penicillins, cephalosporins, monobactams, and carbapenems) that we use to treat a diverse range of bacterial infections. Specifically, β-lactamases catalyze a hydrolysis reaction where the β-lactam ring common to all β-lactam antibiotics and responsible for their antibacterial activity, is opened, leaving an inactive drug. There are two groups of β-lactamases: serine enzymes that use an active site serine residue for β-lactam hydrolysis and metalloenzymes that use either one or two zinc ions for catalysis. Serine enzymes …

Validation Of Chimeric Viruses In Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test In Arboviral Disease Diagnostics, Jasmine Boykin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) is a confirmatory diagnostic assay that is used to confirm a variety of diseases. The performance of PRNT requires the use of infectious wild type viruses, which increases the risk of laboratory acquired infections. For instance, eastern equine encephalitis (EEEV) is a highly virulent pathogen used in PRNT that can result in potentially fatal neurological diseases among humans and equines. Therefore, arboviral PRNT must be performed in Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) containment facilities and may require select agent approved scientists, like in the case of EEEV. These stringent requirements restrict the ability of public …

A Study On The Efficacy Of The Medicare Bundled Payments For Care Improvement Initiative At A Large Community Hospital In The Southeast United States, Elizabeth E. Kerns

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 2013, Medicare launched the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) Initiative which linked payments for multiple services for a complete episode of patient care. With this innovative reimbursement model, hospitals accepted fixed target payments for certain types of clinical diagnoses that were intended to support better care coordination and better outcomes for patients at lower cost to Medicare. This was one of many programs aimed at addressing the serious challenges facing United States healthcare, including costs that are skyrocketing to unsustainable levels and lack of coordination of care across venues.

Preliminary Medicare results showed that bundled payments might lead …

Synthesis, In Vitro Characterization And Applications Of Novel 8-Aminoquinoline Fluorescent Probes, Adonis Mcqueen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Malaria is a parasitic disease that is caused by the plasmodium parasite. Plasmodium infection has affected man for thousands of years. With advances in drug discovery over the past century, malaria has evolved to possess resistance to most mainline therapeutics. This war of drug discovery vs plasmodium evolution continues to be fought to this very day, with attempts to eradicate malaria worldwide. Frontline treatments such as chloroquine, artemisinin, and atovaquone/proguanil have all seen parasitic resistance in strains of P. vivax as well as P. falciparum. While plasmodium possesses resistance to most classes of anti-malarials, the 8-aminoquinoline (8-AQ) class has …

Role Of Viruses Within Metaorganisms: Ciona Intestinalis As A Model System, Brittany A. Leigh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Marine animals live and thrive in a literal sea of microorganisms, yet are often able to maintain specific associations that are largely dictated by the environment, host immunity and microbial interactions. Animal-associated microbiomes include bacteria and viruses that vastly outnumber host cells, especially in the gut environment, and are considered to be integral parts of healthy, functioning animals that act as a metaorganism. However, the processes underlying the initial establishment of these microbial communities are not very well understood. This dissertation focuses on the establishment of a well-known developmental animal model, Ciona intestinalis (sea squirt), to study the establishment and …

Osteopontin Plays A Pivotal Role In In Increasing Severity Of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection, Viviana Sampayo-Escobar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The molecular mechanisms underlying susceptibility to severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection remain poorly understood. Herein, we report on the role of osteopontin (OPN) in regulation of RSV infection in human epithelial cells and how interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), a cytokine secreted soon after RSV infection, when persistently expressed can induce OPN expression leading to increased viral infection. We first compared OPN expression in two human epithelial cell lines: HEK-293 and HEp-2. In contrast to HEp-2, HEK-293 expresses low levels of pro-caspase-1 resulting in decreased IL-1β expression in response to RSV infection. We found a correlation between low IL-1β levels and …

Viruses In Marine Animals: Discovery, Detection, And Characterizarion, Elizabeth Fahsbender

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Diseases in marine animals are emerging at an increasing rate. Disease forecasting enabled by virus surveillance presents a proactive solution for managing emerging diseases. Broad viral surveys aid in disease forecasting by providing baseline data on viral diversity associated with various hosts, including many that are not associated with disease. However, these viruses can become pathogens due to expansion in host or geographic range, as well as when changing conditions shift the balance between commensal viruses and the host immune system. Therefore, it is extremely valuable to identify and characterize viruses present in many different hosts in a variety of …

Health Literacy, Depression, Anxiety, And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder As Predictors Of Biological Markers Of Immune Functioning In Youth And Young Adults With Hiv, Courtney A. Lynn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that affects the body’s immune system (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2016a). HIV is a worldwide epidemic and disproportionately impacts youth in the United States. Youth living with HIV (YLWH) face significant mental health problems, namely depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with rates of these disorders discrepant from those in the general population. In addition to psychological difficulties, health literacy is another factor that influences individuals with HIV and is a priority of research with adolescents (Kalichman et al., 2000; Manganello, 2008). The National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Update 2020 (White House Office …

Discovering Antibacterial And Anti-Resistance Agents Targeting Multi-Drug Resistant Eskape Pathogens, Renee Fleeman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Antibiotic resistance has been a developing problem for mankind in recent decades and multi-drug resistant bacteria are now encountered that are resistant to all treatment options available. In 2014, the World Health Organization announced that this problem is driving us towards a “post-antibiotic era” that will change the face of modern medicine as we know it. If lack of novel antibiotic development and FDA approval continues, by the year 2050, 10 million people will die each year to an antimicrobial resistant bacterial infection. With lack of pharmaceutical industry involvement in developing novel antibiotics, the responsibility now lies within the academic …

Identifying Nodes Of Transmission In Disease Diffusion Through Social Media, David Sebastian Lamb

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The spread of infectious diseases can be described in terms of three interrelated components: interaction, movement, and scale. Transmission between individuals requires some form of interaction, which is dependent on the pathogen, to occur. Diseases spread through the movement of their hosts; they spread across many spatial scales from local neighborhoods to countries, or temporal scales from days to years, or periodic intervals. Prior research into the spread of disease have examined diffusion processes retrospectively at regional or country levels, or developed differential equation or simulation models of the dynamics of disease transmission. While some of the more recent models …

Pollen Forecasting In Sarasota, Florida, Daniel J. Gessman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Current predictions of pollen levels rely strictly on historical Averages, regardless of environmental factors that might affect the timing of pollen release by different plants. For this thesis, the goal was to develop a statistical model that will accurately forecast pollen levels by correlating those daily counts to atmospheric and meteorological conditions. This project used ARIMA modeling on IBM’s SPSS Statistics 24 of daily pollen count information for multiple allergenic pollens in the Sarasota County, Florida area over a 11-year period. The pollen species in question for this project are oak and cypress trees, grass, and ragweed pollens; and Alternaria …

The Effect Of Antigen Polymorphisms On Serological Antibody Detection Assays Based Upon The, Kristi M. Miley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Onchocerca volvulus is a filarial parasite transmitted to humans by female Simulium spp. black flies. Infection with this parasite can cause blindness and severe skin disease among humans in Africa and the Americas. Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay serological testing of OV-16 antigen is a diagnostic tool for determining effective elimination of the parasite. Programs typically rely on OV–16 ELISA to evaluate the progress towards interruption and/or elimination of disease by mass drug distribution of ivermectin and vector larvicidal control efforts. As elimination grows closer, monoclonal antibody positive controls for OV-16 ELISA become important to develop for Onchocerca testing due to the …

Analysis Of A Potential A(H7n9) Influenza Pandemic Outbreak In The U.S., Walter A. Silva Sotillo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a collection of manuscripts that describe development of models and model implementation to analyze impact of potential A(H7N9) pandemic influenza outbreak in the U.S. Though this virus is still only animal-to-human transmittable, it has potential to become human-to-human transmittable and trigger a pandemic. This work is motivated by the negative impact on human lives that this virus has already caused in China, and is intended to support public health officials in preparing to protect U.S. population from a potential outbreak of pandemic scale.

An agent-based (AB) simulation model is used to replicate the social dynamics of the …

Geospatial And Negative Binomial Regression Analysis Of Culex Nigripalpus, Culex Erraticus, Coquillettidia Perturbans, And Aedes Vexans Counts And Precipitation And Land Use Land Cover Covariates In Polk County, Florida, Joshua P. Wright

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although mosquito monitoring systems in the form of dry-ice bated CDC light traps and sentinel chickens are used by mosquito control personnel in Polk County, Florida, the placement of these are random and do not necessarily reflect prevalent areas of vector mosquito populations. This can result in significant health, economic, and social impacts during disease outbreaks. Of these vector mosquitoes Culex nigripalpus, Culex erraticus, Coquillettidia perturbans, and Aedes vexans are present in Polk County and known to transmit multiple diseases, posing a public health concern. This study seeks to evaluate the effect of Land use Land cover …

Evolution, Ecology, And Disparities: Constructing Stature, Immune Functioning, And Reproduction In Brazilian Quilombo, And United States, Women, Anna C. Rivara

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to test how growth, reproduction, and immune functioning interact in two populations of adult women residing in vastly different socio-economic and ecological environments, the Kalunga quilombo in Brazil, and the United States of America. The presence of life history trade-offs was tested to determine how the different envirnonments, and socio-ecological contexts of the populations were creating differential risks for health and reproductive outcomes, and life history trade-offs.

I hypothesized that the Kalunga people, living in very difficult and harsh conditions, would experience greater amounts of, and more severe, life history trade-offs than the U.S. …

Characterizing Gross Lesions In Corals On Fringing Reefs Of Taiwan And Hainan Island, China, Adrienne George

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Visible lesions on coral colonies are potential indicators that environmental stressors are influencing a reef. To test this hypothesis, pairs of near-shore reefs on Taiwan were surveyed along an anthropogenically influenced gradient that included locations near the cities of Taipei and Taitung, and more remote reefs off Green Island. Two fringing reefs at Sanya, Hainan Island, a popular Chinese resort area, were also assessed. Field surveys were undertaken to detect, quantify and visually describe the occurrence of lesions at each site. Coral mucus samples were collected from both normal-appearing polyps and lesion-afflicted areas of colonies to assess carbon requirements of …

Strategies For Reducing Preventable Hospital Readmissions On Medicare Patients, Andres Patricio Garcia-Arce

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The high expenditure of healthcare in the United States (U.S.) does not translate into better quality of care. Indeed, the U.S. healthcare system is recognized by its lack of efficiency and waste (which represents about 20% of the country’s healthcare expenses). Lack of coordination is one of the most referenced causes of waste in the U.S. healthcare system, and preventable hospital readmissions have been acknowledged to be evidence of poor coordination of care. In fiscal year 2013, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) established financial penalties for inpatient care reimbursements in hospitals with excessive readmissions. All the same, …

Dynamics Of Multicultural Social Networks, Kristina B. Hilton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Historically human endeavors around the globe are in search of bilateral relationships. Knowledge and commerce has played a very significant role in increasing the ability for humans to connect for the betterment of the human species. As the means of communication improve, mutual benefits to the community as a whole also increase. Moreover, the benefits are filtered down to members of the overall community. Recent advancement in electronic communication technologies and in knowledge, in particular, physical, chemical, engineering and medical sciences and philosophies, have facilitated nearly instantaneous multi-cultural interactions. Local problems and solutions have become global. This has generated a …

Nurses' Attitudes Toward Death: Examining The Relationship With Background And Palliative Education And Training Variables, Julie Dawn Vognsen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe Registered Nurses’ attitudes toward death and their perspectives on education and training related to death and end-of-life patient care. A complementary goal was to determine whether nurses’ attitudes and perspectives are associated with background variables. The three attitudes toward death included anxiety, escape, and neutral attitudes. The background variables of the nurses included formal educational level, age, gender, ethnicity, years of nursing practice, state of residence, and area of nursing practice.

A survey including four sections was used for data collection. The first section of the survey utilized an established 32-item survey …

Analysis Of Antibody-Induced Plasmodium Falciparum Sporozoites Through Scanning Electron Microscopy, Sagorika Bera

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Malaria is a devastating disease that continues to affect millions of people worldwide every year. Specifically, Plasmodium falciparum is the most common human malaria parasite, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. P. falciparum causes the most malignant and debilitating symptoms with the highest mortality and complication rates. Even with the worldwide efforts of many researchers and organizations, the road to discovering a vaccine has been difficult and challenging. Due do to the improvements in in vitro liver stage assays as well as rodent models of mammalian malaria, pre-erythrocytic stages of malaria have become a more accessible target for experimental studies. These vaccine …

A Novel Approach To The Discovery Of Natural Products From Actinobacteria, Rahmy Tawfik

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Actinobacteria, primarily the genus Streptomyces, have led to the development of a number of antibiotics, which result from their secondary metabolites or modified derivatives. Secondary metabolite production can result from competition with neighboring microbes in an effort to disrupt growth, aiding in the competition for vital nutrients in impoverished conditions. Such secondary metabolites have the potential to affect a plethora of cellular functions in target cells, including, cell wall development, protein synthesis, protein function and fatty acid synthesis/metabolism. Due to the pandemic spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria, it is imperative to continue the search for new therapeutic agents …

Development Of Tools For Stable Transfection In The Human Filarial Parasite Brugia Malayi Via The Piggybac Transposon System, Johan Chabanon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Brugia malayi is one of three species of nematode known to cause lymphatic filariasis (LF) in humans. LF infects over 120 million people, causing debilitating disease. Various global programs have been launched in the past 20 years to eliminate LF. These programs have greatly scaled up the resources and efforts allocated to halting the transmission and reducing disease burden. Only a few drugs are used to treat LF, and resistance is thus a devastating possibility. Research aimed at identifying new drug targets could therefore prove essential in elimination of LF.

Genetic manipulation of B. malayi has been limited to transient …

(Not) Everything Is Good And Easy: Language-Related Healthcare Experiences Of Two Groups Of Low-Income Latina Mothers, Aria Anna Walsh-Felz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This cross-sectional, comparative, qualitative study explored language-related issues experienced by low-income Spanish-speaking mothers navigating pediatric care for their children in Hillsborough County, Florida. Hospitals, pediatric clinics, specialists, and dental care have differing degrees of linguistic accessibility and accommodations for limited English proficient families. Two groups of mothers were interviewed: bilingual (n=9) and Spanish-speaking limited-English proficient (SSLEP) mothers (n=21). These groups perceived the effect of language on navigating pediatric healthcare differently, creating tension in perceptions and experience between them. Such tensions included SSLEP mothers expressing satisfaction with pediatric care simultaneously with shortcomings in communication. SSLEP mothers said that everything was easy, …