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2016

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Articles 871 - 900 of 1869

Full-Text Articles in Biology

Teaching For Higher Levels Of Thinking: Developing Quantitative And Analytical Skills In Environmental Science Courses, Adriana Bravo, Ana Porzecanski, Eleanor Sterling, Nora Bynum, J. Michelle Cawthorn, Denny S. Fernandez Del Viso, Laurie Freeman, Stuart Ketcham, Timothy Leslie, John Mull, Donna Vogler Apr 2016

Teaching For Higher Levels Of Thinking: Developing Quantitative And Analytical Skills In Environmental Science Courses, Adriana Bravo, Ana Porzecanski, Eleanor Sterling, Nora Bynum, J. Michelle Cawthorn, Denny S. Fernandez Del Viso, Laurie Freeman, Stuart Ketcham, Timothy Leslie, John Mull, Donna Vogler

Biology: Faculty Publications

Professionals with strong quantitative and analytical skills are essential to understanding and responding to current environmental challenges. The goal of this study was to promote and evaluate the development of data analysis (DA) skills in undergraduate students through targeted interventions in environmental science courses. We developed materials to promote practice, instruction, and assessment of four core DA dimensions: the ability to make appropriate calculations, convert data to graphical representations, interpret graphical or mathematical information, and draw conclusions based on the analysis of data. We integrated two conservation exercises as pre/post assessment tools, flanking differentiated teaching interventions, into selected science courses …

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Development Of A Non-Invasive Liquid Biopsy For Detection Of Cmvil-10, Alexander Shin, Margarette Mariano, Juliet Spencer Apr 2016

Development Of A Non-Invasive Liquid Biopsy For Detection Of Cmvil-10, Alexander Shin, Margarette Mariano, Juliet Spencer

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a prevalent type of herpes virus in our population. HCMV infection has no effect on the majority of people, but in some cases HCMV is strongly correlated with various medical outcomes, such as breast cancer. We focus on the UL111A gene product of HCMV, which encodes the secreted protein cmvIL-10. CmvIL-10 is a homolog of human cytokine IL-10 (hIL-10), which has immunosuppressive effects and promotes proliferation and invasion of breast cancer cells in vitro. We are measuring cmvIL-10 in human blood and have found elevated levels of cmvIL-10 in cancer patients. Here, we are investigating the …

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Use Of Novel Mutant Viral Proteins To Investigate Chemokine Receptor Signaling, Joy Kim Apr 2016

Use Of Novel Mutant Viral Proteins To Investigate Chemokine Receptor Signaling, Joy Kim

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a widespread pathogen that causes lifelong latent infection. HCMV rarely causes disease in healthy adults. However, immune-compromised individuals like transplant recipients and AIDS patients can suffer from life-threatening disease. HCMV encodes four G-protein coupled receptors, US27, US28, UL33, and UL78. GPCRs have seven transmembrane α-helices and play vital roles in cellular communication networks. Viral GPCRs may exploit these signaling pathways, and US27 was found to increase cellular proliferation and enhance CXCR4 signaling. Here, US27 deletion mutants are being used to define domains of the viral protein critical for impacting CXCR4 function. These results are expected to …

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Investigating How Cmvil-10 Isoforms Differ In Cell Signaling And Receptor Engagement, Alec Starzinski Apr 2016

Investigating How Cmvil-10 Isoforms Differ In Cell Signaling And Receptor Engagement, Alec Starzinski

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a herpesvirus that infects a majority of the world’s population. There are many viral gene products that aid in virus infection and the establishment of the lifelong latency. UL111A, is a viral gene which, through alternate intron splicing, codes for two protein products cmvIL-10 and LAcmvIL-10 that mimic the structure of human interleukin-10 (hIL-10) to varying degrees. cmvIL-10 has been shown to have a wide range of physiological effects, whereas the effects of LAcmvIL-10 appear to be much more limited in scope. This study seeks to measure the expression levels of LAcmvIL-10 during lytic infection of …

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Virus-Host Co-Evolution: Determining The Origin Of Human Cytomegalovirus Us27 And Us28, Jessica A. Scarborough, Juliet Spencer, John Paul Apr 2016

Virus-Host Co-Evolution: Determining The Origin Of Human Cytomegalovirus Us27 And Us28, Jessica A. Scarborough, Juliet Spencer, John Paul

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) are the largest family of cell surface proteins, found in organisms from yeast to humans. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a widespread pathogen that is particularly skilled at evading immune detection and defense mechanisms, largely due to extensive co-evolution with its host’s immune system. One aspect of this co-evolution involves the acquisition of four virally encoded GPCR homologs: US27, US28, UL33 and UL78. In this research, phylogenetic analysis was used to investigate the origins of the US27 and US28 genes, which are adjacent in the viral genome. The results indicate that both US27 and US28 share the …

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Home Range And Habitat Use Of Foraging Gray Bats (Myotis Grisescens) From Five Maternity Sites In Northern Arkansas, Patrick Ryan Moore Apr 2016

Home Range And Habitat Use Of Foraging Gray Bats (Myotis Grisescens) From Five Maternity Sites In Northern Arkansas, Patrick Ryan Moore

Student Theses and Dissertations

Gray bats (Myotis grisescens) were listed as endangered in 1976 because of declining populations resulting from cave disturbance. The Gray Bat Recovery Plan recommends further study on foraging habits and home range. Yet, few data exist partly because gray bats have large home ranges, making ground-based tracking methods problematic. Accordingly, the objective was to assess gray bats’ foraging habits using aerial tracking. In 2014-2015, five maternity sites in Arkansas were harp-trapped, and 112 adult reproductive female gray bats were radio-tracked from a Cessna 182 Skylane, gathering 1,293 time-independent locations from June 15-July 15. Fixed-kernel density with least square cross validation …

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Bacteriophages That Can Lyse Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, Michael Monaco Apr 2016

Bacteriophages That Can Lyse Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, Michael Monaco

Honors Theses

A Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteriophage was isolated from waste water and purified over multiple rounds of plaque removals and serial titrations. This bacteriophage was imaged in a transmission electron microscope and then tested with selected antibiotics for effectiveness in reducing optical density of K. pneumoniae colonies. The phage was shown to have an increased effectiveness in reducing the optical density when used together with an antibiotic that the bacteria was susceptible to.

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Concussions, Why They Go Unreported, Drake Matuska Apr 2016

Concussions, Why They Go Unreported, Drake Matuska

Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day (2011-2017)

Introduction: In the world today, concussions are a major health risk in sports and many other physically demanding activities. Every day, we see former athletes who have experienced multiple concussions complain of cognitive impairment and memory loss. It is the risk every athlete takes when they participate in a sport they love; however, when an individual plays through a concussion that is when a line is crossed. People playing through a concussion lead to the foundation of this study, which is to find out why individuals play through their concussions, why they fail to report, and the core cognitive reasons. …

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Damselfish And Their Effect On The Biodiversity Of Algal Species: A Continuation Of Research In The Galápagos Islands, Ian Devaan, Brian Koch, Paige Goodman, Claire Madden Apr 2016

Damselfish And Their Effect On The Biodiversity Of Algal Species: A Continuation Of Research In The Galápagos Islands, Ian Devaan, Brian Koch, Paige Goodman, Claire Madden

Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day (2011-2017)

Algal diversity is important in the Galápagos Islands’ littoral ecosystems because it is part of the photosynthetic role in the food web. Male damselfish (Stegastes sps.) may play a key role in the maintenance of algal diversity due to their territorial behavior; they actively clean territories and thereby, open up niches for algal growth. We investigated the damselfish role in algal coverage and diversity and predicted that there will be greater mean coverage and number of species within territories. Results from this study will contribute to the knowledge base concerning natural diversity maintenance. Data collection occurred during low tide …

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Cardiac Tissue Engineering: Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells To Repair Damaged Cardiac Tissue, Megan Lenz Apr 2016

Cardiac Tissue Engineering: Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells To Repair Damaged Cardiac Tissue, Megan Lenz

Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day (2011-2017)

Heart Disease is the number one cause of death in the United States and affects many individuals on a daily basis. The purpose of this research was to explore possible tissue regeneration therapies that aim to improve and recover function of damaged myocardial tissue commonly seen as a side-effect of chronic heart disease. Cardiac tissue engineering using induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) is a relatively new method that involves dedifferentiating cells from any tissue of the host into pluripotent stem cells. These cells are then guided to be differentiated into functioning myocardial cells that can be used to …

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Implementation Of Flipped Classrooms In A Non-Major Biology Course, Leah Good Apr 2016

Implementation Of Flipped Classrooms In A Non-Major Biology Course, Leah Good

Scholars Week

With major calls for reform in STEM education from professional organizations (e.g. AAAS, NIH, NSF), studies have found that faculty in higher education can improve student learning by changing their teaching from teacher-centered to student-centered. Change in teaching practice can be difficult, however, especially without significant training. One method of introducing student-centered teaching practices into the classroom is through the use of a flipped classroom model, where students engage in learner-centered activities within the classroom and receive passively-transmitted information outside the classroom. The focus of my study was two-fold, (a) to determine if the flipped classroom method affects student learning …

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Anti-Amyloid Compounds Protect From Silica Nanoparticle-Induced Neurotoxicity In The Nematode C. Elegans, Andrea Scharf, Karl Heinz Gührs, Anna Von Mikecz Apr 2016

Anti-Amyloid Compounds Protect From Silica Nanoparticle-Induced Neurotoxicity In The Nematode C. Elegans, Andrea Scharf, Karl Heinz Gührs, Anna Von Mikecz

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Identifying nanomaterial-bio-interactions are imperative due to the broad introduction of nanoparticle (NP) applications and their distribution. Here, we demonstrate that silica NPs effect widespread protein aggregation in the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans ranging from induction of amyloid in nucleoli of intestinal cells to facilitation of protein aggregation in body wall muscles and axons of neural cells. Proteomic screening revealed that exposure of adult C. elegans with silica NPs promotes segregation of proteins belonging to the gene ontology (GO) group of "protein folding, proteolysis and stress response" to an SDS-resistant aggregome network. Candidate proteins in this group include chaperones, heat shock …

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Global Genetic Connectivity And Diversity In A Shark Of High Conservation Concern, The Oceanic Whitetip, Carcharhinus Longimanus, Cassandra L. Ruck Apr 2016

Global Genetic Connectivity And Diversity In A Shark Of High Conservation Concern, The Oceanic Whitetip, Carcharhinus Longimanus, Cassandra L. Ruck

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The oceanic whitetip shark, Carcharhinus longimanus, is a circumtropical pelagic shark of high conservation concern (IUCN Red List: “Critically Endangered” in the Western North and Western Central Atlantic and “Vulnerable” globally). I present the first, population genetic assessment of the oceanic whitetip shark on a global scale, based on analysis of two mitochondrial genome regions (entire 1066-1067 bp control region and 784 bp partial ND4 gene), and nine nuclear microsatellite loci. No population structure was detected within the Western Atlantic. However, highly significant population structure was detected between Western Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Ocean sharks across all markers. Additionally, a …

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Tree-Mycorrhizal Associations Detected Remotely From Canopy Spectral Properties, Joshua B. Fisher, Sean Sweeney, Edward R. Brzostek, Tom P. Evans, Daniel J. Johnson, Jonathan A. Myers, Norman A. Bourg, Amy T. Wolf, Robert W. Howe, Richard P. Philllips Apr 2016

Tree-Mycorrhizal Associations Detected Remotely From Canopy Spectral Properties, Joshua B. Fisher, Sean Sweeney, Edward R. Brzostek, Tom P. Evans, Daniel J. Johnson, Jonathan A. Myers, Norman A. Bourg, Amy T. Wolf, Robert W. Howe, Richard P. Philllips

Biology Faculty Research

A central challenge in global ecology is the identification of key functional processes in ecosystems that scale, but do not require, data for individual species across landscapes. Given that nearly all tree species form symbiotic relationships with one of two types of mycorrhizal fungi – arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi – and that AM- and ECM-dominated forests often have distinct nutrient economies, the detection and mapping of mycorrhizae over large areas could provide valuable insights about fundamental ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling, species interactions, and overall forest productivity. We explored remotely sensed tree canopy spectral properties to …

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Relating Anaerobic Digestion Microbial Community And Process Function, Kaushik Venkiteshwaran, Benjamin T.W. Bocher, James Maki, Daniel Zitomer Apr 2016

Relating Anaerobic Digestion Microbial Community And Process Function, Kaushik Venkiteshwaran, Benjamin T.W. Bocher, James Maki, Daniel Zitomer

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Anaerobic digestion (AD) involves a consortium of microorganisms that convert substrates into biogas containing methane for renewable energy. The technology has suffered from the perception of being periodically unstable due to limited understanding of the relationship between microbial community structure and function. The emphasis of this review is to describe microbial communities in digesters and quantitative and qualitative relationships between community structure and digester function. Progress has been made in the past few decades to identify key microorganisms influencing AD. Yet, more work is required to realize robust, quantitative relationships between microbial community structure and functions such as methane production …

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A Novel Xenomonitoring Technique Using Mosquito Excreta/Feces For The Detection Of Filarial Parasites And Malaria, Nils Pilotte, Weam I. Zaky, Brian P. Abrams, Dave D. Chadee, Steven A. Williams Apr 2016

A Novel Xenomonitoring Technique Using Mosquito Excreta/Feces For The Detection Of Filarial Parasites And Malaria, Nils Pilotte, Weam I. Zaky, Brian P. Abrams, Dave D. Chadee, Steven A. Williams

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Given the continued successes of the world’s lymphatic filariasis (LF) elimination programs and the growing successes of many malaria elimination efforts, the necessity of low cost tools and methodologies applicable to long-term disease surveillance is greater than ever before. As many countries reach the end of their LF mass drug administration programs and a growing number of countries realize unprecedented successes in their malaria interven- tion efforts, the need for practical molecular xenomonitoring (MX), capable of providing surveillance for disease recrudescence in settings of decreased parasite prevalence is increasingly clear. Current protocols, however, require testing of mosquitoes in pools of …

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Beyond The Urban Stream Syndrome: Organic Matter Budgets For Diagnostics And Restoration Of An Impaired Urban River, Dave M. Epstein, Julia E. Kelso, Michelle A. Baker Apr 2016

Beyond The Urban Stream Syndrome: Organic Matter Budgets For Diagnostics And Restoration Of An Impaired Urban River, Dave M. Epstein, Julia E. Kelso, Michelle A. Baker

Biology Faculty Publications

In response to water quality standard violations linked to excessive organic matter (OM) and a lack of sampling data informing the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), an organic matter budget was created to quantify and identify sources of OM in the lower Jordan River (Salt Lake City, UT). By sampling dissolved, fine, and coarse particulate OM, as well as measuring ecosystem metabolism at seven different sites, the researchers aimed to identify the origin of excess OM, and understand pathways by which different size classes of the OM pool are generated. The dissolved fraction (DOM; 94 %) was found to be …

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From Mollusks To Medicine: A Venomics Approach For The Discovery And Characterization Of Therapeutics From Terebridae Peptide Toxins, Aida Verdes, Prachi Anand, Juliette Gorson, Stephen Jannetti, Patrick Kelly, Abba Leffler, Danny Simpson, Girish Ramrattan, Mandë Holford Apr 2016

From Mollusks To Medicine: A Venomics Approach For The Discovery And Characterization Of Therapeutics From Terebridae Peptide Toxins, Aida Verdes, Prachi Anand, Juliette Gorson, Stephen Jannetti, Patrick Kelly, Abba Leffler, Danny Simpson, Girish Ramrattan, Mandë Holford

Publications and Research

Animal venoms comprise a diversity of peptide toxins that manipulate molecular targets such as ion channels and receptors, making venom peptides attractive candidates for the development of therapeutics to benefit human health. However, identifying bioactive venom peptides remains a significant challenge. In this review we describe our particular venomics strategy for the discovery, characterization, and optimization of Terebridae venom peptides, teretoxins. Our strategy reflects the scientific path from mollusks to medicine in an integrative sequential approach with the following steps: (1) delimitation of venomous Terebridae lineages through taxonomic and phylogenetic analyses; (2) identification and classification of putative teretoxins through omics …

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Characterization Of The Ftsz C-Terminal Variable (Ctv) Region In Z-Ring Assembly And Interaction With The Z-Ring Stabilizer Zapd In E. Coli Cytokinesis, Kuo-Hsiang Huang, Aaron Mychack, Lukasz Tchorzewski, Anuradha Janakiraman Apr 2016

Characterization Of The Ftsz C-Terminal Variable (Ctv) Region In Z-Ring Assembly And Interaction With The Z-Ring Stabilizer Zapd In E. Coli Cytokinesis, Kuo-Hsiang Huang, Aaron Mychack, Lukasz Tchorzewski, Anuradha Janakiraman

Publications and Research

Polymerization of a ring-like cytoskeletal structure, the Z-ring, at midcell is a highly conserved feature in virtually all bacteria. The Z-ring is composed of short protofilaments of the tubulin homolog FtsZ, randomly arranged and held together through lateral interactions. In vitro, lateral associations between FtsZ protofilaments are stabilized by crowding agents, high concentrations of divalent cations, or in some cases, low pH. In vivo, the last 4–10 amino acid residues at the C-terminus of FtsZ (the C-terminal variable region, CTV) have been implicated in mediating lateral associations between FtsZ protofilaments through charge shielding. Multiple Z-ring associated proteins (Zaps), also promote …

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Genetic Analyses And Annotations Of Two Newly Discovered C1 Mycobacteriophages, Robert Shafer, Julia Lennon, Megan Dolan, Morgan Braun, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor Apr 2016

Genetic Analyses And Annotations Of Two Newly Discovered C1 Mycobacteriophages, Robert Shafer, Julia Lennon, Megan Dolan, Morgan Braun, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Poster presentation abstract.

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Expression And Isolation Of The Bche Protein From Dinoroseobacter Shibae In Rhodobacter Capsulatus, Abigail Brown, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor Apr 2016

Expression And Isolation Of The Bche Protein From Dinoroseobacter Shibae In Rhodobacter Capsulatus, Abigail Brown, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Photosynthetic bacteria rely on photosynthesis to get energy. Bacteriochlorophylls harvest the light energy in photosynthesis and are important to these bacteria, but several enzymes used to synthesize this macromolecule are not completely understood. The gene bchE, from the marine bacterium Dinoroseobacter shibae, has been proposed to code for a protein used to help catalyze the formation of the bacteriochlorophyll structure. Isolation of polypeptide encoded by the bchE gene was performed to better understand this enzyme. Using conjugation, ST18 E. coli cells with plasmids containing the bchE gene were mated with a Rhodobacter capsulatus strain lacking functional BchE to …

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Predicting Incubation Period: A Case Study Of The North Island Brown Kiwi (Apteryx Australis Mantelli) And The Elephant Bird (Aepyornis Spp), Meaghan Mormann, Tess Kelley, Jennifer Altman, William Jaeckle, Faculty Advisor, Given Harper, Faculty Advisor Apr 2016

Predicting Incubation Period: A Case Study Of The North Island Brown Kiwi (Apteryx Australis Mantelli) And The Elephant Bird (Aepyornis Spp), Meaghan Mormann, Tess Kelley, Jennifer Altman, William Jaeckle, Faculty Advisor, Given Harper, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Poster presentation abstract.

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Isolation And Characterization Of Previously Undiscovered Bacteriophages, Ellen Stumph, Daniel Walski, Samridh Gupta, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor Apr 2016

Isolation And Characterization Of Previously Undiscovered Bacteriophages, Ellen Stumph, Daniel Walski, Samridh Gupta, Richard Alvey, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Poster presentation abstract.

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Functional Complementation Of Z-Ring Regulation By Alleles Of Hetp In Anabaena, Christina Khour, Loralyn Cozy, Faculty Advisor Apr 2016

Functional Complementation Of Z-Ring Regulation By Alleles Of Hetp In Anabaena, Christina Khour, Loralyn Cozy, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Poster presentation abstract.

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Use Of A Glutathione S-Transferase (Gst) Tag For Isolation Of The Bche Encoded Protein Of Rhodobacter Capsulatus In Rhodobacter Capsulatus, Dorota Kulikowska, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor Apr 2016

Use Of A Glutathione S-Transferase (Gst) Tag For Isolation Of The Bche Encoded Protein Of Rhodobacter Capsulatus In Rhodobacter Capsulatus, Dorota Kulikowska, David Bollivar, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Poster presentation abstract.

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Phage For Thought: Investigating The Ingestion And Assimilation Of Viruses Into Rotifer (Brachionus Plicatilis) Tissues, Brittany Straznickas, William Jaeckle, Faculty Advisor Apr 2016

Phage For Thought: Investigating The Ingestion And Assimilation Of Viruses Into Rotifer (Brachionus Plicatilis) Tissues, Brittany Straznickas, William Jaeckle, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Rotifers are a group of suspension-feeding aquatic invertebrate animals that range from approximately 50–2,000 micrometers in size. The typical food sources for rotifers (i.e., unicellular algae, 2-10 micrometers in diameter) are visible with light microscopy. Bacteriophages (viruses that use bacteria as hosts) are too small (30-110 nanometers in diameter) to be seen using light microscopy, but are present in great abundance (~ 1030 in the world’s oceans). If or how particles as small as bacteriophages are consumed as food is incompletely known; Sorenson ('15) reported that rotifers ingest water containing the fluorescently-labeled (Dichlorotriazinylamino fluorescein, DTAF) bacteriophages. We exposed the …

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Elucidating A Mechanism Of Growth Cessation In Heterocysts Of (Anabaena), Blake Beehler, Loralyn Cozy, Faculty Advisor Apr 2016

Elucidating A Mechanism Of Growth Cessation In Heterocysts Of (Anabaena), Blake Beehler, Loralyn Cozy, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Oral presentation abstract.

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Detection Of Acinetobacter Baumanniiin Human Lice, Shamta Warang Apr 2016

Detection Of Acinetobacter Baumanniiin Human Lice, Shamta Warang

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Background: Pediculus humanus humanus and Pediculus humanus capitis are bloodsucking human ectoparasites. Human body lice have been long known to vector several human pathogens, including Rickettsia prowazekii, Bartonella quintana, and Borrelia recurrentis. In contrast, human head lice are not typically associated with carriage of any pathogens, despite sporadic findings of B. quintana and Acinetobacter baumannii in lice collected from homeless people and children in different parts of the world. The purpose of this project is to assess the prevalence of A. baumannii in human head lice collected from school children from Georgia, USA. Methodology and Data: DNA of A. baumannii …

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Investigating The Role Of Itga6 In Tumor Development, Shauntell Luke Apr 2016

Investigating The Role Of Itga6 In Tumor Development, Shauntell Luke

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Cancer research is a large topic in science, because over 14 million people are diagnosed worldwide, and of those, 8 million will die annually. Traditional therapies are the mainstays of treatment strategies, but a cure less invasive or with less side effects have not yet been identified. In order to develop a better cure, we need to understand the tumor and molecules present in its tissues. Integrins, cell surface proteins that aid in cell communication, have been found in the tumor tissues of several types of cancers, including prostate and neuroblastomas. Integrin alpha-6 (ITGA6), in particular, has been found to …

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Developing Molecular Tools For Diagnosis Of Human Ehrlichiosis, Megan Mears Apr 2016

Developing Molecular Tools For Diagnosis Of Human Ehrlichiosis, Megan Mears

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Background: Ehrlichia chaffeensis, E. ewingii, E. muris and E. canis are known to cause febrile illnesses in humans and dogs. These pathogens are transmitted by ticks, and infection is established following invasion of the human or dog white blood cells. Ehrlichia chaffeensis infections of humans have a fatality rate up to 5%. Ehrlichia ewingii displays antigenic cross-reactivity with E. chaffeensis; however, laboratory case confirmation is difficult because E. ewingii is not cultivable so antigens and genetic data are hard to acquire. Our project will develop approaches and tools to characterize E. ewingii surface protein gene homologous to the major 120 …

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