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Full-Text Articles in Immunology and Infectious Disease
Role Of Viruses Within Metaorganisms: Ciona Intestinalis As A Model System, Brittany A. Leigh
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 …
Redirection Of The Immune Response To Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilm Infection, Anna G. Staudacher
Redirection Of The Immune Response To Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilm Infection, Anna G. Staudacher
Theses & Dissertations
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a leading cause of community- and healthcare-associated infections and has a propensity to form biofilms. Biofilm infections are recalcitrant to host immune-mediated clearance as well as antibiotics, making them exceptionally difficult to eradicate. The biofilm environment has been shown to skew the host immune response towards an anti-inflammatory phenotype, characterized by alternatively activated macrophages, recruitment of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), and minimal neutrophil and T cell infiltrates. Our laboratory has attempted to redirect the host immune response towards one that would favor bacterial clearance by employing strategies to augment pro-inflammatory mechanisms. One such …