Other Immunology and Infectious Disease Commons^™

Characterization Of Tick And Host-Associated Factors Linked To Induction Of Alpha-Gal Syndrome., Surendra Raj Sharma, Surendra Raj Sharma

Dissertations

Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS) is a delayed allergic reaction caused by specific IgE antibodies to the oligosaccharide galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-gal) present in red meat. AGS is a growing concern globally, with over 34,000 confirmed cases in the United States alone. Studies have linked AGS to tick bites, which sensitizes hosts against α-gal antigens and elevates α-gal specific IgE. This dissertation investigates the role of tick and host-associated factors in AGS development. Microbiome analysis of Am. americanum ticks revealed a comprehensive core microbiome profile and showed that new Fransiella-like endosymbionts dominate and outcompete conventional tick Coxiella endosymbionts. Ticks subjected to tetracycline treatment showed …

Investigating The Involvement Of The Tick Vector In The Induction Of Alpha-Galactose Hypersensitivity (Alpha-Gal Syndrome, Red Meat Allergy) In The United States., Gary Crispell

Dissertations

Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS or sometimes called red meat allergy) is a result of the development of specific IgE antibodies to the oligosaccharide galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-gal) after a person has had exposure to tick bites. This dissertation investigates four common tick species found in North America: the lone-star tick (Amblyomma americanum), the Gulf-Coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum), the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), and the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis) for the presence of α-gal by utilizing a combination of immunoproteomic approaches and carbohydrate analysis techniques.

Anti-α-gal IgM antibodies (M86) were used in immunoblotting to detect …

Cysteine Dioxygenase Enzyme Activity And Gene Expression In The Dimorphic Pathogenic Fungus Histoplasma Capsulatum Is In Both The Mold And Yeast Morphotypes And Exhibits Substantial Strain Variation, Melissa Adams, Glen Shearer

Faculty Publications

In the dimorphism (mold/yeast) Histoplasma capsulatum (Hc) literature are reports that yeast (the so-called pathogenic form) uniquely expresses a cysteine dioxygenase (CDO, approx. 10,500 dal) activity which the mold morphotype (the so-called saprophytic soil form) does not express (C.F., Kumar et al., Biochem 22, 762, 1983). This yeast-specific CDO activity is postulated to play a critical role in the mold-to-yeast shift. A number of years ago, our lab isolated the gene encoding the Hc cysteine dioxygenase (CDO1, Genbank accession AY804144) and noted significant expression in the mold morphotype of several Histoplasma strains and also determined that the predicted protein would …

Role Of Msa In Immune Evasion, Persistence, And Protease Regulation In The Human Pathogenic Strains Of Staphylococcus Aureus, Maria Deepa Basco

Dissertations

Opportunistic pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus on entering the host can stay colonized at the foci of infection or evade the immune system to disseminate to other sites. In this study we investigated the regulatory influence of the modulator of sarA (msa) on immune evasion and host persistence, employing the hospital-acquired strain S. aureus UAMS-1 and community-acquired strain S. aureus USA300 LAC. In the murine sepsis model, mutation of the msa gene in LAC showed no change in dissemination of infection; however, in UAMS-1 a decrease in microbial load was observed in the lungs. Differential regulation by the msa gene was …

Clam (Corbicula Fluminea) As A Potential Sentinel Of Human Norovirus Contamination In Freshwater, Xunyan Ye

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and validate the use of the clam Corbicula fluminea as a sentinel of human noroviruses (HuNoV) contamination in freshwater. The first specific aim was to develop a new method to extract HuNoV RNA from contaminated bivalves (e.g. oysters, clams) that would be much faster than existing methods. The procedure developed includes an initial total RNA extraction using TRI Reagent, followed by HuNoV RNA concentration and purification using biotinylated probe-capture technology. HuNoV RNA is finally detected by real-time RT-PCR. Using bivalve homogenates spiked with HuNoV, 100 PCR detection units of the virus was …