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Honors Theses

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Articles 61 - 71 of 71

Full-Text Articles in Microbiology

Production Of Antibodies For Specific Detection Of Dengue Virus-2 By Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy, E. Ashley Thompson May 2017

Production Of Antibodies For Specific Detection Of Dengue Virus-2 By Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy, E. Ashley Thompson

Honors Theses

Dengue Virus (DENV) is a flavivirus spread by mosquitoes that are endemic in tropic and subtropic climates. It is the causative pathogen of Dengue Fever, Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, and Dengue Shock Syndrome. Besides mosquito transmission, DENV can also be transmitted through blood transfusion. Due to the high expense and expertise needed to run tests like ELISA and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) based-assays for DENV detection, a rapid, sensitive and cost effective gold nanoparticles mediated surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) assay has been developed as an alternative assay to detect DENV. In this project, I successfully produced a monoclonal antibody that specifically …


Elucidating The Interplay Between Sodium Selenite On The Tick Amblyomma Maculatum Selenoprotein Gene Expression, Afnan M. Beauti May 2017

Elucidating The Interplay Between Sodium Selenite On The Tick Amblyomma Maculatum Selenoprotein Gene Expression, Afnan M. Beauti

Honors Theses

Selenium (Se) is an element recognized as an essential micronutrient in eukaryote organisms. Selenoproteins contain selenium as selenocysteine, the 21st amino acid. Selenium plays a role in cell growth and functioning. At low concentrations, it can induce growth and at high concentrations, it can cause a cell to stop growing and potentially have toxic effects on the cell and organism. When selenium levels are high, oxidative stress results by the production of reactive oxidative species. Selenoproteins, however, can aid the antioxidant response in the cell. Ticks are arthropods of interest, as they are one of few that contain many selenogenes, …


The Regulatory Relationship Of Transcriptional Regulators Msab And Cody In Capsule Production In Staphylococcus Aureus, Brittany L. Trunell May 2017

The Regulatory Relationship Of Transcriptional Regulators Msab And Cody In Capsule Production In Staphylococcus Aureus, Brittany L. Trunell

Honors Theses

There are many transcriptional regulators found in pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus. Many of these regulators are essential for the organism’s ability to switch from commensal form to the virulent pathogenic form. One of these main regulators is CodY. This regulator has been shown to be responsive to nutrient availability during phases of growth. Additionally, we have recently found that MsaB, the only protein coding ORF of the msaABCR operon, is a putative co-regulator of capsule along with CodY. To explore these regulator interactions, we produced mutations of codY and msaABCR individually and a double mutation of msaABCR/ codY. We have observed …


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.


"Patterns In The Abundance Of Benthic Algae In Streams", Courtney Wright Apr 2016

"Patterns In The Abundance Of Benthic Algae In Streams", Courtney Wright

Honors Theses

Benthic, microscopic algae are the main drivers of primary productivity in streams. The relationship between the abundance and productivity of benthic algae in streams and lakes and the availability of limiting nutrients, especially soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), has been extensively studied (reviewed in Allan and Castillo 2007, Larned 2010). However, nearly all of this research has been conducted on the periphyton assemblage found on hard substrates (e.g., stones, wood), while very little work has addressed the factors affecting the abundance of epipelic algae (i.e., the algae associated with depositional (soft) sediments such as sands and silts). One of the few …


The Effects Of Lotion Fatty Acids On Gram Negative Skin Flora: Implications For Membrane Remodeling And Pathogenicity, Adrianna Eder May 2015

The Effects Of Lotion Fatty Acids On Gram Negative Skin Flora: Implications For Membrane Remodeling And Pathogenicity, Adrianna Eder

Honors Theses

AIM: The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether or not Enterobacter aerogenes, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, which are three gram negative bacteria commonly found on the skin, utilize fatty acids in a manner that affects bacterial phenotype. Furthermore, an objective was to gain a deeper understanding of how the alteration of bacterial membranes, as a result of fatty acid uptake, affected the pathogenicity, membrane permeability, and resistance in gram negative bacteria. METHODS: The lipids were extracted using the method of Bligh and Dyer and analyzed using thin-layer chromatography (TLC). A series of tests were performed, including a …


The Uptake And Incorporation Of Exogenous Fatty Acids Confer Phenotypic Advantages To Acinetobacter Baumannii, Saba A. Munir May 2015

The Uptake And Incorporation Of Exogenous Fatty Acids Confer Phenotypic Advantages To Acinetobacter Baumannii, Saba A. Munir

Honors Theses

AIM: Acinetobacter baumannii is a ubiquitous gram-negative bacterium found on a variety of surfaces that include skin, hair, and soil. Some gram-negative bacteria like A. baumannii have the ability to acquire and incorporate fatty acids into their phospholipid membranes. Known as ‘Iraqibacter,’ A. baumannii has emerged as a significant cause of nosocomial infections in the United States and abroad. This study was designed to determine whether structural alterations occur in A. baumannii upon exposure to a wide range of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as well as the significance of this phenomenon in terms of survival and resistance to stress. Thin …


Study Of The Function Of The Mold Specific Gene Ms95 In Dna Repair In The Pathogenic, Dimorphic Fungus Histoplasma Capsulatum, Erin M. Smith May 2014

Study Of The Function Of The Mold Specific Gene Ms95 In Dna Repair In The Pathogenic, Dimorphic Fungus Histoplasma Capsulatum, Erin M. Smith

Honors Theses

Histoplasma capsulatum (Hc) is a dimorphic fungus that is the etiologic agent of the respiratory infection Histoplasmosis that is mediated by a shift from the mold phase to the pathogenic yeast phase. Genes have been identified that are specific to the mold or yeast phase in order to study the molecular biology of this shift. MS95 was identified in a subtractive cDNA library that was enriched for mold-specific genes, and has been found to be homologous to the DNA damage-responsive gene DDR48, which functions in DNA repair in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In order to elucidate the function of MS95, a …


Molecular Evolution Of Insecticidal Spore-Forming Bacteria, John Pool Apr 2000

Molecular Evolution Of Insecticidal Spore-Forming Bacteria, John Pool

Honors Theses

Molecular methods are increasingly being used to determine the phylogeny of microorganisms. This research was intended to determine phylogenetic relationships for bacteria of the species Bacillus thuringiensis and other members of the Bacillus cereus group. Each strain was analyzed by its sasp-B gene sequence to determine its species classification and relation to other strains studied. Results of this study indicated that according to the sasp-B gene tree, the species Bacillus thuringiensis is a paraphyletic with respect to both Bacillus cereus and Bacillus anthracis. Some unexpected results and implications for species designations are also discussed.


Characterization Of Metal-Regulated Genes In Pseudomonas Fluorescens, Melanie Pearson Aug 1998

Characterization Of Metal-Regulated Genes In Pseudomonas Fluorescens, Melanie Pearson

Honors Theses

One side effect of today's industrialized world is increased levels of heavy metals in the environment. Many of these metals are necessary for biological function as trace elements, but at higher concentrations are toxic. Other metals, such as cadmium, are not beneficial at any level, and have only deleterious effects on living organisms. Cadmium is primarily thought to interfere with normal biological function of proteins. Human exposure to cadmium appears to primarily damage the kidneys, but may also affect the liver, lungs, immune system, and central nervous system. Bacteria, however, have developed several methods for handling toxic heavy metals: cation …


The Role Of D-Gluconic Acid In The Regulation Of The Synthesis Of The Enzymes Of The Entner-Doudoroff Pathway In Pseudomonas Fluorescens, Steven C. Quay Aug 1971

The Role Of D-Gluconic Acid In The Regulation Of The Synthesis Of The Enzymes Of The Entner-Doudoroff Pathway In Pseudomonas Fluorescens, Steven C. Quay

Honors Theses

Induction of Entner-Duodoroff pathway enzymes in Pseudomonas fluorescens was investigated to study the role of gluconate as a possible inducer. Glucose oxidase-deficient mutants were isolated and characterized. One of these mutants, gox-7, was deficient in particulate glucose oxidase; another mutant, gox-17, was deficient in particulate glucose and gluconate oxidase activities. Gluconate, but not glucose, induced synthesis of gluconokinase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydratase in both mutants. High constitute levels of 2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate aldolase were found when both mutants were grown on glucose. Growth of parent and both mutant strains on glycerol also resulted in high levels of Entner-Doudoroff pathway enzymes. It was concluded …