Immunology and Infectious Disease Commons^™

Impulse Vaccination Model For The Control Of Devil Facial Tumor Disease, Zachary Bobbitt, Timothy Comar, Megan O. Powell, Catherine Roberts, Nicholas Schneider, Teagen Smith

Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics

Devil facial tumor disease (DFTD) is a cancer that affects Tasmanian devils and that has caused the devil population to grossly decline since 1996. We present an SEIVR model to explore if recent advances in DFTD vaccines can help the wild population recover. Considering both and bi-annual impulse of vaccinating wild devils through food drops and introducing vaccinated captive-bred devils into the population, we explore the vaccine efficacy, percent of healthy devils receiving the vaccine, and years of campaign necessary for the devil population to have a long-term recovery. Based on our initial parameter estimations, we find a stable population …

Long-Term Dynamics Of The Kidney Disease Epidemic Among Hiv-Infected Individuals, Heather Gudaz, Henry A. Ogu, Elissa J. Schwartz

Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics

One of many risks facing HIV+ individuals is the development of kidney dysfunction and end stage kidney disease (ESKD). A differential equation-based mathematical model was developed to assess the impact of antiretroviral therapy on the progression to kidney disease and on reducing mortality due to kidney failure. Analytical and numerical predictions of long-term HIV+ ESKD prevalence show that therapy can lead to either extremely low levels of disease prevalence or increased prevalence, depending on drug efficacy levels and mechanisms of action. Maintenance of HIV+ ESKD prevalence below one individual is possible with sufficient efficacy (e.g., 99%) against the progression from …

Data From: Recovery From Discrete Wound Severities In Side-Blotched Lizards (Uta Stansburiana): Implications For Energy Budget, Locomotor Performance, And Oxidative Stress, Susannah S. French, Spencer B. Hudson

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Wounding events (predation attempts, competitive combat) result in injuries and/or infections that induce integrated immune responses for the recovery process. Despite the survival benefits of immunity in this context, the costs incurred may require investment to be diverted from traits contributing to immediate and/or future survival, such as locomotor performance and oxidative status. Yet, whether trait constraints manifest likely depends on wound severity and the implications for energy budget. For this study, food intake, body mass, sprint speed, and oxidative indices (reactive oxygen metabolites, antioxidant capacity) were monitored in male side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana) healing from cutaneous wounds of discrete …

Piglet Immunization With A Spike Subunit Vaccine Enhances Disease By Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus, Jieshi Yu, Chithra Sreenivasan, Tirth Uprety, Rongyuan Gao, Chen Huang, Ella J. Lee, Steven Lawson, Julie Nelson, Jane Christopher-Hennings, Radhey S. Kaushik, Eric Nelson, Diego G. Diel, Ben M. Hause, Feng Li, Dan Wang

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

Immunization with an insect cell lysate/baculovirus mixture containing recombinant porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) spike protein induced high levels of neutralizing antibodies in both mice and piglets. However, immunization of piglets with this vaccine resulted in enhancement of disease symptoms and virus replication in vaccine recipients exposed to PEDV challenge. Thus, these observations demonstrate a previously unrecognized challenge of PEDV vaccine research, which has important implications for coronavirus vaccine development.

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy In Hiv-Associated Merkel Cell Carcinoma: A Case Series Of 3 Patients., Song Y Park, Candice Church, Nora A Alexander, Michi M Shinohara, Kelly G Paulson, Karl D Lewis, Nancy S Lee, Paul Nghiem

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Development And Maintenance Of The Thymic Epithelial Microenvironment, Shami Chakrabarti

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The thymus plays a critical role in adaptive immunity by providing a suitable microenvironment for developing and selecting the functional self-tolerant T-cell population. Thymic epithelial cells play an essential role in the development of a naïve, self-tolerant T-cell population. Paradoxically thymus undergoes acute age-related involution, which in turn causes loss of functional T-cell populations. Involution reduces the functionality of the thymus markedly, but the thymus can still develop self-tolerant naïve T-cells. It is crucial to understand how the thymic microenvironment is maintained to provide a suitable T-cell population for life. It has been previously demonstrated that the thymic epithelial homeostasis …

Insights Into Leptopilina Spp. Immune-Suppressive Strategies Using Mixed-Omics And Molecular Approaches, Brian Wey

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Host-parasite interactions influence the biology of each over the course of evolution. Parasite success allows for the passage of potent virulence strategies from generation to generation. Host success passes stronger immunity and resistance strategies to the following generations as well. Only by studying both partners within their natural contexts can we begin to understand the relationship between the two and how immune mechanisms and virulence strategies interact as a molecular arms race.

In this work, we focus on a natural host-parasite pair, the Drosophila-Leptopilina model. Leptopilina species are parasites of several fruit fly species, including Drosophila melanogaster. This model …

Disparities In Sars-Cov-2 Positivity Rates: Associations With Race And Ethnicity, Harvey W Kaufman, Justin K Niles, David B. Nash

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

Numerous reports indicate that African Americans and Latinos are being affected disproportionately by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Positivity rates have not been analyzed on scale because only 4 states report race/ethnicity as part of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing. Previous studies also have had little ability to control for many known risk factors to better identify the effects of COVID-19 on racial and ethnic communities. Using test results from a large national reference laboratory database that included patients from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, this study compared positivity rates for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid amplification …

Macrophage-Engineered Vesicles For Therapeutic Delivery And Bidirectional Reprogramming Of Immune Cell Polarization, Khaga R. Neupane, J. Robert Mccorkle, Timothy J. Kopper, Jourdan E. Lakes, Surya P. Aryal, Masud Abdullah, Aaron A. Snell, John C. Gensel, Jill M. Kolesar, Christopher I. Richards

Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center Faculty Publications

Macrophages, one of the most important phagocytic cells of the immune system, are highly plastic and are known to exhibit diverse roles under different pathological conditions. The ability to repolarize macrophages from pro-inflammatory (M1) to anti-inflammatory (M2) or vice versa offers a promising therapeutic approach for treating various diseases such as traumatic injury and cancer. Herein, it is demonstrated that macrophage-engineered vesicles (MEVs) generated by disruption of macrophage cellular membranes can be used as nanocarriers capable of reprogramming macrophages and microglia toward either pro- or anti-inflammatory phenotypes. MEVs can be produced at high yields and easily loaded with diagnostic molecules …

Epigenetic Evolution Of Ace2 And Il-6 Genes: Non-Canonical Interferon-Stimulated Genes Correlate To Covid-19 Susceptibility In Vertebrates, Eric R. Sang, Yun Tian, Laura C. Miller, Yongming Sang

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

The current novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread globally within a matter of months. The virus establishes a success in balancing its deadliness and contagiousness, and causes substantial differences in susceptibility and disease progression in people of different ages, genders and pre-existing comorbidities. These host factors are subjected to epigenetic regulation; therefore, relevant analyses on some key genes underlying COVID-19 pathogenesis were performed to longitudinally decipher their epigenetic correlation to COVID-19 susceptibility. The genes of host angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2, as the major virus receptor) and interleukin (IL)-6 (a key immuno-pathological factor triggering cytokine storm) were shown to evince active …

Malaria In Southern Venezuela: The Hottest Hotspot In Latin America, Maria Eugenia Grillet, Jorge E. Moreno, Juan V. Hernández-Villena, Maria F. Vincenti-González, Oscar Noya, Adriana Tami, Alberto Paniz-Mondolfi, Martin Llewellyn, Rachel Lowe, Ananias A. Escalante, Jan E. Conn

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Malaria elimination in Latin America is becoming an elusive goal. Malaria cases reached a historical ~1 million in 2017 and 2018, with Venezuela contributing 53% and 51% of those cases, respectively. Historically, malaria incidence in southern Venezuela has accounted for most of the country’s total number of cases. The efficient deployment of disease prevention measures and prediction of disease spread to new regions requires an in-depth understanding of spatial heterogeneity on malaria transmission dynamics. Herein, we characterized the spatial epidemiology of malaria in southern Venezuela from 2007 through 2017 and described the extent to which malaria distribution has changed country-wide …

Data For "Arch_Covid_Crowding_Vc", Wayne Freimund, Zachary D. Miller

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Monitoring of visitor use in Arches National Park to assess social distancing behaviors of visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Computing For Numeracy: How Safe Is Your Covid-19 Social Bubble?, Charles Connor

Numeracy

The COVID-19 pandemic has led many people to form social bubbles. These social bubbles are small groups of people who interact with one another but restrict interactions with the outside world. The assumption in forming social bubbles is that risk of infection and severe outcomes, like hospitalization, are reduced. How effective are social bubbles? A Bayesian event tree is developed to calculate the probabilities of specific outcomes, like hospitalization, using example rates of infection in the greater community and example prior functions describing the effectiveness of isolation by members of the social bubble. The probabilities are solved for two contrasting …

A Biophysical Investigation Of Hiv-1 Envelope Cytoplasmic-Tail Mediated Retention In The Gag Lattice, Nicholas Scott Groves

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The infectivity of Human Immunodeficiency Virus is critically dependent on successful incorporation of the trimeric viral envelope glycoprotein, Envelope (Env), into Gag lattice assembly sites on the host-cell plasma membrane during virus biogenesis. The mechanistic nature of interaction between Gag, the structural protein, and Env, the viral spike, are dependent on the Gag matrix (MA) and Env cytoplasmic tail (CT) domains. Env laterally diffuses on the host cell plasma membrane until encountering a budding Gag lattice, where it is retained until particle scission and release. The mechanism of Env entry and retention in the lattice remains elusive and enigmatic. Here …

Optimized Microbial Recombinant Production Of Hiv-1 Anti-Envelope Antibody Fragments With Applications To Single Particle Tracking Of Virus Assembly, Merissa Michelle Bruns

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In my findings, I have established a set series of protocols to recombinantly produce, purify and apply various fluorescent probes in vitro for the fluorescent labeling and study of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope (Env) protein during HIV viral assembly. There remains insufficient knowledge about the molecular dynamics and interactions of HIV-1 Env protein with its counterpart, Gag, on the inner host cell surface during assembly of a mature virus particle. There also remains an insufficient amount of data for the understanding and clarification of the mechanism of action of a known host cell HIV-1 restriction factor, …

Developing A Self-Sanitizing Mask To Combat The Spread Of Infectious Disease, Matthew Crawford

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Masks have become an important part of everyday life, protecting both the wearer and individuals nearby from the spread of infectious diseases, most notably severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the coronavirus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, these masks are easily contaminated, whether through continued use or by the wearer touching the mask fabric with contaminated hands, therefore reducing the efficacy and exposing the user to these contagions. When the mask becomes contaminated, it can be discarded, which produces large amounts of waste that will end up in a landfill, or it can be washed, which is …

The Effect Of Age On Neurological Inflammation To Acute Sleep Fragmentation In Mice, Molly Taylor

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Obstructive sleep apnea is identified by recurring events of airway collapse during sleep, intermittent hypoxia, and perturbations in sleep continuity, known as sleep fragmentation. There is evidence to suggest that elderly patients are more at risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea. The purpose of this study was to assess whether age affects neurological inflammatory responses to acute sleep fragmentation. This assessment was made by subjecting young (4-5 months old) and old (10-11 months old) male C57BL/6j mice to automated sleep fragmentation, as well as having mice in both age categories as a control with no sleep fragmentation, for twenty-four hours. …

Crippling Rapid Evolution Of Metastasis And Drug Resistance In A549 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells With The Clinically Relevant Hsp90 Inhibitor Auy922, Nickolas Anthony Bacon

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The ability for species to evolve new features in response to changing circumstances in order to survive and propagate is a ubiquitous observation on both the macroscopic and microscopic levels of living systems. It should be no surprise, then, that diseases such as cancer utilize their own forms of adaptation to perpetuate themselves when exposed to external threats. Indeed, concepts drawn from Darwinian evolution are now widely accepted to help explain certain aspects of carcinogenesis and malignant progression, the sum of which have come to be known as the theory of tumor evolution. Since metastasis and drug resistance are features …

Influenza H3n2v: Key Facts For People Exhibiting Pigs At Fairs, Tennessee State University

Extension Publications

No abstract provided.

Exploring Interleukin 21 And Its Role In Humoral Immunity In The Mouse Model Of Influenza Infection, Samantha E. Gallahan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In summary, this study will be focused on Il-21 and its implications in the antibody response in influenza. The isotype classes primarily involved in this process will also be examined. This will be accomplished by looking at the serum of mice and analyzing the present influenza specific antibodies using ELISA. Another goal was to optimize the ELISA in order to make it sensitive enough to catch small differences in the results. This topic is important due to its implications for improving influenza vaccinations and preventions as current vaccines are not 100% effective. Influenza contributes to significant disease and death around …

Targeting The Cerebrovasculature In Sepsis: A Focus On The Brain Microvascular Endothelium, Divine C. Nwafor

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a critical interface between the systemic circulation and the brain. It is a specialized multicellular unit composed of brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs), pericytes, a basement membrane, and astrocytic end foot processes. BMECs are a principal component of the BBB that provide the structural framework needed for the stringent transport of molecules into the brain. BMEC dysfunction permits the trafficking of neurotoxins from systemic circulation into the brain, which ultimately exacerbates BBB dysfunction and neuroinflammation. Studies have shown that BBB dysfunction is a key determinant of cognitive decline in sepsis. However, there are critical knowledge …

Viral Factors Influencing Early Infection Events During Ex-Vivo Kshv Infection, Ramina Nabiee

Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

The enigma of Kaposi Sarcoma Herpes Virus infection, and its persistence despite a quarter century of research on the virus, has given rise to an immediate need for addressing fundamental questions about basic immunology and virology knowledge regarding this virus. Kaposi Sarcoma Herpes Virus (KSHV), also known as Human Herpesvirus 8 (HHV8), is the etiological agent of Kaposi Sarcoma (KS) and other lymphoproliferative cancers, such as Multicentric Castleman’s Disease (MCD), Primary Effusion Lymphoma (PEL), and a newly discovered rare disease called KSHV Inflammatory Cytokines Syndrome (KICS). Epidemic KS, also known as AIDS-KS, is the most common cancer in untreated HIV …

Prevalence Of Cymothoidae (Isopoda) Infestation In Bigeye Scad (Selar Crumenophtalmus) From Batangas, Philippines, Tanya Faye S. Muji, Joaquin R. Sorreta, Janice A. Ragaza

Biology Faculty Publications

Cymothoid isopod research is relatively scarce in the Philippines, despite the local economic significance of bigeye scad as an inexpensive source of protein and other nutrients. Isopod parasitism has also been shown to have detrimental effects on their fish hosts. The current study aimed to define the host-parasite relationship between cymothoid isopod and bigeye scad by determining cymothoid isopod prevalence, intensity, and host-parasite length correlations in bigeye scad (Selar crumenophthalmus) hosts sourced from Batangas, Philippines. Fish samples were sampled from the Tagaytay City Market in Cavite, which sources fish directly from Batangas. Fish samples were immediately measured and …

Investigating The Effects Of Tgf-Β On T Cell Activation-Induced Cell Death, Christina Rose Cunha

Dissertations

Achieving immune homeostasis requires the functions and numbers of suppressive regulatory T cells (Tregs) and effector conventional T cells (conv T) to be balanced and precisely controlled. A decrease in Treg numbers is associated with autoimmune diseases such as type I diabetes and multiple sclerosis, while Treg numbers are increased in the tumor microenvironment. Conversely, an increase in conv inflammatory T cells in the tumor microenvironment is associated with better outcomes for cancer patients. Thus, maintaining the appropriate balance between Treg and conventional T cell populations is essential for controlling immune responses against non-self and self-antigens, as well as tumor …

Are Covid-19 Vaccine Boosters Needed? The Science Behind Boosters, Rachel M. Burckhardt, John J. Dennehy, Leo L. M. Poon, Linda J. Saif, Lynn W. Enquist

Publications and Research

Waning vaccine-induced immunity coupled with the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants has led to increases in breakthrough infections, prompting consideration for vaccine booster doses. Boosters have been reported to be safe and increase SARS-CoV-2-specific neutralizing antibody levels, but how these doses impact the trajectory of the global pandemic and herd immunity is unknown. Information on immunology, epidemiology and equitable vaccine distribution should be considered when deciding the timing and eligibility for COVID-19 vaccine boosters.

Dirofilaria Immitis Prevalence In Canis Latrans In Kentucky, Melanie Ann Brandon

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Dirofilaria immitis (canine heartworm) was found in forty-two (42) of the two hundred seventy-five (275) Canis latrans (coyote) necropsied in the state of Kentucky from November 27, 2019 through March 3, 2021. Thirty-five (35) of the positive cases were from western Kentucky region with the other seven spread across the state. With this group of coyotes, one hundred fifty-eight (158) were male and the other one hundred six-teen (116) were female. The estimated age ranged from a pup to senior dogs. A little over forty percent of the dogs were obtained through coyote/predator tournaments; the remaining were acquired from pest …

The Role Of Reactive Oxygen Species In The Immunity Induced By Nano-Pulse Stimulation, Siqi Guo, Niculina I. Burcus, Megan Scott, Yu Jing, Iurii Semenov

Bioelectrics Publications

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are byproducts of tumor cells treated with Nano-Pulse Stimulation (NPS). Recently, ROS have been suggested as a contributing factor in immunogenic cell death and T cell-mediated immunity. This research further investigated the role of NPS induced ROS in antitumor immunity. ROS production in 4T1-luc breast cancer cells was characterized using three detection reagents, namely, Amplex Red, MitoSox Red, and Dihydroethidium. The efficiency of ROS quenching was evaluated in the presence or absence of ROS scavengers and/or antioxidants. The immunogenicity of NPS treated tumor cells was assessed by ex vivo dendritic cell activation, in vivo vaccination assay …

Use Of Lymesim 2.0 To Assess The Potential For Single And Integrated Management Methods To Control Blacklegged Ticks (Ixodes Scapularis; Acari: Ixodidae) And Transmission Of Lyme Disease Spirochetes, Shravani Chitineni, Elizabeth R. Gleim, Holly D. Gaff

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Annual Lyme disease cases continue to rise in the U.S. making it the most reported vector-borne illness in the country. The pathogen (Borrelia burgdorferi) and primary vector (Ixodes scapularis; blacklegged tick) dynamics of Lyme disease are complicated by the multitude of vertebrate hosts and varying environmental factors, making models an ideal tool for exploring disease dynamics in a time- and cost-effective way. In the current study, LYMESIM 2.0, a mechanistic model, was used to explore the effectiveness of three commonly used tick control methods: habitat-targeted acaricide (spraying), rodent-targeted acaricide (bait boxes), and white-tailed deer targeted acaricide (4-poster …

Monocyte Abundance And White Blood Cell Expression Of Prolactin And Nf-Kb Pathway Genes In Beef Steers Are Altered By Grazing Toxic Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue And Lipopolysaccharide Challenge, Cecilia Winfrey

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Experiment 1 tested the hypothesis that ad libitum consumption of a 1:1 blend (MIX) of sodium selenite (ISe) and SELPLEX vs solely ISe as selenium (Se) supplements (27 ppm) in a vitamin-mineral mix (V-M) by steers subjected to summer-long grazing of toxic endophyte-infected tall fescue (TE) would ameliorate the negative effects of TE by positively affecting the expression pattern of prolactin (PRL) and NF-kB pathway genes by circulating leukocytes (WBC). Experiment 2 tested the hypothesis that the MIX form of supplemental Se also would ameliorate the negative effects of in vitro blood lipopolysaccharide challenge (LPS) on WBC gene expression. The …

Passive Immunization Against Invasive Salmonella Enterica, Angelene Richards

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The Gram-negative bacterium, Salmonella enterica is a prominent etiologic agent of both diarrheal disease and enteric fever that encompasses over 2500 serovars, including S. Typhimurium (STm) and S. Typhi (STy). S. enterica is transmitted through contaminated food and water and, following ingestion, invades the gastrointestinal (GI) mucosa. The bacterium uses flagellar-based motility to target microfold (M) cells overlying gut-associated lymphoid tissues known as Peyer’s patches in the small intestine. Entry into Peyer’s patch tissues is a pivotal step in the infection process, as the bacterium can then disseminate systemically in the host. Given the rise in antibiotic resistance amongst S. …