Immunology and Infectious Disease Commons^™

Regulation Of Autoimmune Germinal Center Reaction By Tfh Cells And Application Of Tfr-Like Cells For The Treatment Of Autoimmune B Cell Responses, Young Uk Kim

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Excessive follicular helper T (Tfh) cell responses to self-antigens are associated with antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases in humans including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Numeral and functional aberrations of T regulatory T (Treg) cells are common in patients with autoimmune diseases. Although different types of immunosuppressive agents have been used clinically to treat antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases, they generally have side effects due to the lack of target-specificity. To minimalize the adverse effects, there is a need to develop target-specific therapeutics which specifically control auto-reactive B cell responses and auto-reactive Tfh cell responses. Recent studies unveiled that Foxp3⁺ Treg cells expressing CXCR5 …

Agave Chewing And Dental Wear: Evidence From Quids, Emily E. Hammerl, Melissa A. Baier, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

Agave quid chewing is examined as a potential contributing behavior to hunter-gatherer dental wear. It has previously been hypothesized that the contribution of Agave quid chewing to dental wear would be observed in communities wherever phytolith-rich desert succulents were part of subsistence. Previous analysis of coprolites from a prehistoric agricultural site, La Cueva de los Muertos Chiquitos in Durango, Mexico, showed that Agave was a consistent part of a diverse diet. Therefore, quids recovered at this site ought to be useful materials to test the hypothesis that dental wear was related to desert succulent consumption. The quids recovered from the …

Geospatial Resolution Of Human And Bacterial Diversity With City-Scale Metagenomics, Ebrahim Afshinnekoo, Cem Meydan, Shanin Chowdhury, Dyala Jaroudi, Collin Boyer, Nick Bernstein, Julia M. Maritz, Darryl Reeves, Jorge Gandara, Sagar Chhangawala, Sofia Ahsanuddin, Amber Simmons, Timothy Nessel, Bharathi Sundaresh, Elizabeth Pereira, Ellen Jorgensen, Sergios-Orestis Kolokotronis, Nell Kirchberger, Isaac Garcia, David Gandara, Sean Dhanraj, Tanzina Nawrin, Yogesh Saletore, Noah Alexander, Priyanka Vijay, Elizabeth M. Hénaff, Paul Zumbo, Michael Walsh, Gregory D. O'Mullan, Scott Tighe, Joel T. Dudley, Anya Dunaif, Sean Ennis, Eoghan O'Halloran, Tiago R. Magalhaes, Braden Boone, Angela L. Jones, Theodore R. Muth, Katie Schneider Paolantonio, Elizabeth Alter, Eric E. Schadt, Jeanne Garbarino, Robert J. Prill, Jane M. Carlton, Shawn Levy, Christopher E. Mason

Publications and Research

The panoply of microorganisms and other species present in our environment influence human health and disease, especially in cities, but have not been profiled with metagenomics at a city-wide scale. We sequenced DNA from surfaces across the entire New York City (NYC) subway system, the Gowanus Canal, and public parks. Nearly half of the DNA (48%) does not match any known organism; identified organisms spanned 1,688 bacterial, viral, archaeal, and eukaryotic taxa, which were enriched for harmless genera associated with skin (e.g., Acinetobacter). Predicted ancestry of human DNA left on subway surfaces can recapitulate U.S. Census demographic data, and bacterial …

Cryptic Speciation In The Acari: A Function Of Species Lifestyles Or Our Ability To Separate Species?, Anna Skoracka, Sara Magalhães, Brian G. Rector, Lechosław Kuczyński

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

There are approximately 55,000 described Acari species, accounting for almost half of all known Arachnida species, but total estimated Acari diversity is reckoned to be far greater. One important source of currently hidden Acari diversity is cryptic speciation, which poses challenges to taxonomists documenting biodiversity assessment as well as to researchers in medicine and agriculture. In this review, we revisit the subject of biodiversity in the Acari and investigate what is currently known about cryptic species within this group. Based on a thorough literature search, we show that the probability of occurrence of cryptic species is mainly related to the …

Aspirin Triggered Resolution Phase Interaction Product D1: A Novel Treatment For Hyperoxic Acute Lung Injury, Ruan Rollin Cox, Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Acute Lung injury (ALI) and the more severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are respiratory maladies that present immense clinical challenges. ALI affects 200,000 individuals annually and features a 40% mortality rate. ALI can be initiated by both pathogenic and sterile insults originating locally in the lungs or systemically. While immense research has been poured into this disease in an effort to find a therapeutic strategy, the heterogeneously diffuse nature of the disease has not yielded a cure for the disease. Death from this disease is strongly attributed to reduced gas exchange from a severely compromised alveolar-capillary barrier. The only …

Bacterially-Based Immune Challenges And Trauma Elicit Terminal Investment In Male Aedes Aegypti, Molly K. Schumacher

Theses and Dissertations

Investment in life history traits such as immune function and reproduction is constrained by finite available resources. A cost-of-immunity trade-off may occur in response to infection when resources are diverted away from reproductive effort and into an immune response. Alternatively, an infected individual may enhance reproductive effort to maximize terminal reproductive success in response to the survival threat inherent to infection (terminal investment). We measured male Aedes aegypti reproductive behavior following inoculations with: living bacteria; killed bacteria as an immune elicitor; and a sham control. Mating competitiveness relative to naïve males was also determined through a binary mate choice experiment …

Development Of A Biosensor-Based Rapid Urine Test For Detection Of Urogenital Schistosomiasis., Kathleen E Mach, Ruchika Mohan, Shailja Patel, Pak Kin Wong, Michael Hsieh, Joseph C Liao

Urology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Levels Of 8-Oxodg Predict Hepatobiliary Pathology In Opisthorchis Viverrini Endemic Settings In Thailand., Prasert Saichua, Anna Yakovleva, Christine Kamamia, Amar R. Jariwala, Paul J. Brindley, Jeffrey M. Bethony, + 8 More

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Opisthorchis viverrini is distinct among helminth infections as it drives a chronic inflammatory response in the intrahepatic bile duct that progresses from advanced periductal fibrosis (APF) to cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Extensive research shows that oxidative stress (OS) plays a critical role in the transition from chronic O. viverrini infection to CCA. OS also results in the excision of a modified DNA lesion (8-oxodG) into urine, the levels of which can be detected by immunoassay. Herein, we measured concentrations of urine 8-oxodG by immunoassay from the following four groups in the Khon Kaen Cancer Cohort study: (1) O. viverrini negative individuals, (2) …

Comparison Of Different Modulators That Affect Macrophage Activation In Vitro, Alda Alexa Díaz Pérez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Inflammation is known as a mechanism to regulate and control infections as well as promote tissue repair. Macrophages (Mф) are known to be a major cell type in the initiation, sustainability and resolution of inflammation. Moreover, Mф are essential for the remodeling process that is also known as the wound healing response. The objective of this research was to compare five modulators (acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), dexamethasone (DEX), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), iloprost, and resolvin D1 (RvD1) for their anti-inflammatory effects on macrophages in vitro. Then, Mф phenotype in terms of gene expression and secreted cytokine response was determined. Our study compared …

Effects Of Antiretroviral Therapy On Kaposi’S Sarcoma–Associated Herpesvirus (Kshv) Transmission Among Hiv-Infected Zambian Children, Landon Olp, Veenu Minhas, Clement Gondwe, Chipepo Kankasa, Janet M. Wojcicki, Charles Mitchell, John T. West, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Background: The risk of Kaposi’s sarcoma–associated herpesvirus (KSHV) acquisition among children is increased by HIV infection. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) was recently made widely available to HIV-infected children in Zambia. However, the impact of early ART on KSHV transmission to HIV-infected children is unknown.

Methods: We enrolled and followed a cohort of 287 HIV-exposed, KSHV-negative children under 12 months of age from Lusaka, Zambia, to identify KSHV seroconversion events. Potential factors associated with KSHV infection—with an emphasis on HIV, ART, and immunological measures—were assessed through structured questionnaires and blood analyses. Incidence rate, Kaplan- Meier, and multivariable Cox regression models were used …

A Study Of A Simulated Infectious Disease On Healthcare Workers' Reaction, Knowledge, Attitudes, And Performance Towards Hand Hygiene, Lydia Wigglesworth-Ballard

Health Services Research Dissertations

Problem Statement. The high rate of healthcare worker-patient contact provides many opportunities for exposure to pathogens, which creates challenges in assessing healthcare workers' success at preventing healthcare associated infections caused by these dangerous pathogens.

Methods. This study explored the effects of a simulated infectious disease on healthcare workers' hand hygiene knowledge, attitudes, performance, and reactions using Kirkpatrick's Four levels of Evaluation. The study utilized a mixed method pre-test – 2 post-test design. The dependent variables were hand hygiene knowledge, attitudes toward hand hygiene guidelines, hand hygiene performance, and reaction to the overall experience. Data was collected three times over a …

Ganoderma Lucidum Reduces Obesity In Mice By Modulating The Composition Of The Gut Microbiota, Chih-Jung Chang, Chuan-Sheng Lin, Chia-Chen Lu, Jan Martel, Yun-Fei Ko, David M. Ojcius, Shun-Fu Tseng, Tsung-Ru Wu, Yi-Yuan Margaret Chen, John Ding-E. Young, Hsin-Chih Lai

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Obesity is associated with low-grade chronic inflammation and intestinal dysbiosis. Ganoderma lucidum is a medicinal mushroom used in traditional Chinese medicine with putative anti-diabetic effects. Here, we show that a water extract of Ganoderma lucidum mycelium (WEGL) reduces body weight, inflammation and insulin resistance in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). Our data indicate that WEGL not only reverses HFD-induced gut dysbiosis—as indicated by the decreased Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratios and endotoxin-bearing Proteobacteria levels—but also maintains intestinal barrier integrity and reduces metabolic endotoxemia. The anti-obesity and microbiota-modulating effects are transmissible via horizontal faeces transfer from WEGL-treated mice to HFD-fed mice. We further …

In Vitro And In Vivo Evaluation Of Infestation Deterrents Against Lice, Kyong-Sup Yoon, Jennifer K. Ketzis, Samuel W. Andrewes, Christopher S. Wu, Kris Honraet, Dorien Staljanssens, Bart Rossel, J Marshall Clark

SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

The human head louse is a cosmopolitan ectoparasite and frequently infests many people, particularly school-age children. Due to widespread pyrethroid resistance and the lack of efficient resistance management, there has been a considerable interest in the protection of uninfested people and prevention of reinfestation by disrupting lice transfer. In this study, two nonclinical model systems (in vitro and in vivo) were used to determine the efficacy of the infestation deterrents, Elimax lotion and Elimax shampoo, against human head lice or poultry chewing lice, respectively. With in vitro assessments, female head lice exhibited significantly higher avoidance responses to hair tufts treated …

Behavioral Immunity Suppresses An Epizootic In Caribbean Spiny Lobsters, Mark J. Butler Iv, Donald C. Behringer Jr., Thomas W. Dolan Iii, Jessica Moss, Jeffrey D. Shields

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Sociality has evolved in a wide range of animal taxa but infectious diseases spread rapidly in populations of aggregated individuals, potentially negating the advantages of their social interactions. To disengage from the coevolutionary struggle with pathogens, some hosts have evolved various forms of "behavioral immunity"; yet, the effectiveness of such behaviors in controlling epizootics in the wild is untested. Here we show how one form of behavioral immunity (i.e., the aversion of diseased conspecifics) practiced by Caribbean spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus) when subject to the socially transmitted PaV1 virus, appears to have prevented an epizootic over a large seascape. We …

Expression, Localization, And Kinetic Characterization Of The Phospholipid Biosynthesis Enzyme Ctp: Phosphocholine Cytidylyltransferase From The Protozoan Parasite Leishmania Major, Justin Daniel Theodore Lange

Theses and Dissertations

The eukaryotic parasite Leishmania is the causative agent of the disease leishmaniasis. L. major is the most common of 21 species that causes visceral leishmaniasis in humans, and 30 that cause the same disease in other mammals. Visceral leishmaniasis causes fever, weight loss, and over a short amount of time, multiple organ failure, and has a 100% mortality rate within 2 years. This makes it the second largest parasitic killer in the world behind malaria. Over 90% of the worldâ??s cases of visceral leishmaniasis have been reported in underdeveloped countries of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sudan, Ethiopia and Brazil, with 500,000 …

Chronic Inflammation As A Result Of Hepatitis C Virus Infection: A Review Of The Literature, Samantha L. Lane

DePaul Discoveries

Approximately 170 million people are infected with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) worldwide^5,6. It is estimated that roughly 80% of those infected suffer from persistent infection with the virus; this persistence of infection is progressive, and over time can lead to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma⁷. Chronic inflammation and apoptotic deregulation are both hallmarks of chronic HCV infection, and many molecular pathways are initiated in both the innate and adaptive immune responses during infection with this viral pathogen. The aim of this review was to survey some of the major molecular mechanisms responsible for the induction of …

Nsf Grant Helps Preserve Parasite Collections [Press Release], Scott Gardner, Leslie Reed

Scott L. Gardner Publications

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $500,000 grant that will allow four major parasite collections to be digitized. The collections are part of UNL's Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology. Scott Gardner (pictured) is the curator and director of the Manter Laboratory.

A $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation will allow the Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology to digitally preserve four major collections of parasite specimens donated to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln during the past five years.

Detection Of Hcmv Viral Il-10 (Vil-10) In Healthy Blood Donors, Vivian P. Young

Master's Theses

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is widespread in the general population and can establish lifelong latency with expression of a limited subset of viral genes. The UL111A gene is expressed during both lytic and latent infection, and at least two protein isoforms are produced. During lytic infection, the full length transcript yields cmvIL-10, a potent immunosuppressive viral ortholog of human IL-10 (hIL-10). Alternative splicing of the UL111A transcript yields a truncated protein, LAcmvIL-10, which is expressed during both lytic and latent infection but with a limited range of immunosuppressive functions. The two viral cytokines, collectively termed viral IL-10 (vIL-10), are identical in …

Draft Genome Sequences Of Six Different Staphylococcus Epidermidis Clones, Isolated Individually From Preterm Neonates Presenting With Sepsis At Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary, Paul Walsh, M. Bekaert, J. Carroll, T. Manning, B. Kelly, A. O'Driscoll, X. Lu, C. Smith, P. Dickinson, K. Templeton, P. Ghazal, Roy D. Sleator

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Herein, we report the draft genome sequences of six individual Staphylococcus epidermidis clones, cultivated from blood taken from different preterm neonatal sepsis patients at the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom.

Lyme Disease In The Northeast: Altered Ecosystems And Public Health Impacts, Elisa L. Russo

Student Theses 2015-Present

Lyme disease has spread rapidly throughout the United States since its original discovery in 1975. An increasing threat to public health, this common vector-borne disease is transferred to a human after receiving a bite from an infected blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis). Humans have contributed to the massive influx of tick populations and Lyme disease cases through the introduction of invasive flora and fauna, overhunting of apex predators, and altering areas of land for urbanization. Quantitative data from the CDC and USDA on Lyme disease cases and white-tailed deer populations in the United States demonstrates the impact of human …

Structural And Functional Interactions Between Bro1 Domain Of Human Alix Protein And Nucleocapsid Packaging Rna Complex From Hiv, Scott Gross

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

A virus is only as powerful as its ability to spread. Enveloped retroviruses, namely HIV-1, use exocytosis pathways that normal host cells use to release particles from the plasma membrane. The main pathways of interest in this study are the Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport (ESCRT) and adjacent ALIX pathways. The ESCRT pathway is especially important for degradation of receptor/cargo complexes that form Multi-Vesicular Bodies (MVBs). Currently, there is no known therapy that targets this endosomal pathway, which would prevent the spread of the virus to other cells. The virus has adapted to jump from pathway to pathway when …

Hepatitis B Vaccines And Hpv Vaccines Have Been Hailed As Major Public Health Achievements In Preventing Cancer--Could A Schistosomiasis Vaccine Be The Third?, Michael H. Hsieh, Julia M L Brotherton, Afzal A Siddiqui

Urology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Adapting The Standard Sir Disease Model In Order To Track And Predict The Spreading Of The Ebola Virus Using Twitter Data, Armin Smailhodzic

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A method has been developed to track infectious diseases by using data mining of active Twitter accounts and its efficacy was demonstrated during the West African Ebola outbreak of 2014. Using a meme based n-gram semantic usage model to search the Twitter database for indications of illness, flight and death from the spread of Ebola in Africa, principally from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Memes of interest relate disease to location and severity and are coupled to the density of Tweets and re-Tweets. The meme spreads through the community of social users in a fashion similar to nonlinear wave propagation- …

The Effects Of Diet And The Microbiome On Reproduction And Longevity: A Comparative Review Across 5 Continents, Stephanie N. Chilton, Megan K. Enos, Jeremy P. Burton, Gregor Reid

Microbiology & Immunology Publications

Human longevity and quality of life remain key societal drivers, but the healthcare burden of diet-related chronic diseases is economically unmanageable. In recent years, it has been proposed that the composition and abundance profiles of certain bacterial phyla in the gut are indicators of malnutrition, and ill health. But, how much does the gut microbiome and diet really contribute to outcomes? The description of three microbial enterotypes remains to be verified, as does its significance for health tested across continents and within people who migrate from one lifestyle to another. It is not simply that the diet of one region …

How Probiotics And The Microbiome Will Change Medical Practice, Gregor Reid

Microbiology & Immunology Publications

No abstract provided.

Critical Insights Into The Pathogenesis Of Clinical Isolates Of Pandemic Influenza A(H1n1) 2009 Virus In Mouse And Ferret Models., Jeremy V. Camp 1980-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Influenza A virus (IAV) is a minus-sense, segmented, single-stranded RNA virus that infects the respiratory tract of humans and can cause severe illness. Novel IAV variants perpetually emerge on every continent, and the emergence of variants with increased transmissibility and/or pathogenesis in the human population is a serious concern for global public health. Infection with IAV typically causes an acute, self-limiting upper respiratory tract disease. However, severe IAV disease is characterized by infection of the lower respiratory tract which can lead to pneumonia and may result in the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Viral and host contributions to …

Characterization Of The Innate Response To The Ragb Protein Of Porphyromonas Gingivalis., Justin Hutcherson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

More than 64 million people in the US suffer from some form of periodontal disease. Periodontal diseases are bacterial infections of the hard and soft tissues surrounding the teeth which can lead to tooth loss. Periodontal tissue destruction is caused by inflammatory host-pathogen interactions. Porphyromonas gingivalis is a major causative agent of periodontal diseases and is a keystone periodontal pathogen. The 55kDa immunodominant RagB outer membrane protein of P. gingivalis has been proposed to facilitate iron transport. However, potential interactions between RagB and the innate response have not been examined. RagB homologues in gut Bacteroidetes have been associated with inflammatory …

Early Host Response And Immune Signaling To 2009 Pandemic Influenza A (H1n1) Viruses In Primary Cell Culture Models., Rachael Lask Gerlach

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Influenza A virus (IAV) subtypes and even genotypes within subtypes can show differences in tropism (host, cell type), magnitude of infection, immune response and progression of illness. My dissertation focused on the development and use of two in vitro physiologically-relevant human cell culture models, well-differentiated normal human bronchial epithelial (wdNHBE) cells and human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) for the study of early IAV-host interactions. These models have given new insight into early host responses to seasonal H1N1 (BN59) and two pandemic A(H1N1)2009 viruses or H1N1pdm herein. The H1N1pdm are clinical isolates from a fatal (A/KY/180/10) and nonfatal (A/KY/136/09) case. In the …

The Incidence Of Chagas Coinfections Amongst Acute Dengue Patients In Machala, Ecuador, Elizabeth A. Mcmahon

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Dengue fever is a febrile illness found throughout the tropics that, in severe cases, can be deadly. The most rapidly spreading of any mosquito-borne disease, dengue is re-emerging as an illness of great concern in Latin America and around the globe. The CDC estimates that as many as 400 million cases of dengue occur each year. The pathogenesis of dengue virus is complicated and acts through modulation of the host immune system. Dengue polarizes the immune system balance of T helper 1 (Th1) and T helper 2 (Th2) cells towards a Th1 inflammatory response. Parasitic infections have also been shown …

Parasite Infection Mediates Trait Tradeoffs In Fundulus Heteroclitus, Sarah Dunn

Honors College Theses

To be successful, an animal must eat, grow, and reproduce. With limited resources, there are tradeoffs between these critical life history parameters but the direction of the tradeoffs is largely unknown in a changing environment. To determine whether environmental context affects life-history tradeoffs, I surveyed and quantified investment into reproduction, growth, and a proxy for immunity (parasitism), in the mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus, a common inhabitant of salt marshes in Georgia. Three salt marsh sites along coastal Georgia (Shellman Bluff, Skidaway Island, and Tybee Island) were selected using a proxy for anthropogenic disturbance (impervious surface), which also fell along a …