Microbiology Commons^™

Experimental Inoculation Of House Sparrows (Passer Domesticus) With Buggy Creek Virus, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Amy T. Moore, Nicholas A. Panella, Eric A. Edwards, Mary Bomberger Brown, Nicholas Komar, Charles R. Brown

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

We performed experimental inoculations of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) with Buggy Creek virus (BCRV), a poorly known alphavirus (Togaviridae) vectored primarily by the swallow bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae: Oeciacus vicarius) that is an ectoparasite of the cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) and house sparrow. Viremias were detected by plaque assay in two of six birds on days 1–3 postinoculation; viremia was highest on day 2. Viral RNA was detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in blood of six of 12 birds ranging from day 1 to day 15 postinoculation. Infectious BCRV was detected in …

Old Acetogens, New Light, Steven L. Daniel, Harold L. Drake, Anita S. Gößner

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Acetogens utilize the acetyl-CoA Wood-Ljungdahl pathway as a terminal electron-accepting, energy-conserving, CO2-fixing process. The decades of research to resolve the enzymology of this pathway (1) preceded studies demonstrating that acetogens not only harbor a novel CO2-fixing pathway, but are also ecologically important, and (2) overshadowed the novel microbiological discoveries of acetogens and acetogenesis. The first acetogen to be isolated, Clostridium aceticum, was reported by Klaas Tammo Wieringa in 1936, but was subsequently lost. The second acetogen to be isolated, Clostridium thermoaceticum, was isolated by Francis Ephraim Fontaine and co-workers in 1942. C. thermoaceticum became the most extensively studied acetogen and …

The Structural And Folding Characteristics Of The Plasmid-Encoded Toxin From Enteroaggregative Escherichia Coli, Patricia Scaglione

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Plasmid-encoded toxin (Pet) from enteroaggregative Escherichia coli is a member of the autotransporter subfamily termed SPATE (serine protease autotransporters of Enterobacteriaceae). Autotransporters, which are the most common Gram-negative secreted virulence factors, contain three functional domains: an amino terminal leader sequence, a mature protein or passenger domain, and a carboxy-terminal β domain. The leader sequence targets the protein to the periplasmic space and the β domain then forms a β-barrel pore in the outer membrane of the bacterium which allows the passenger domain to enter the external milieu. In some cases the passenger domain is cleaved from the β-barrel at the …

Generation Of Recombinant Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Lines And Theirapplication For In Vivo Bioluminiscence Imaging In The Heart, Ramana Kammili

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death in the United States, with 80 million people suffering from some form of heart disease each year. One major limitation is the inability of the heart to repair the damaged tissue. Stem cell therapy holds enormous promise to repair and regenerate the damaged myocardium, but there are many technical difficulties that must first be overcome. One such difficulty is the present lack of ability to track and assess transplanted stem cells over time in vivo. The central hypothesis of this thesis is that in vivo bioluminescence imaging is a safe and useful …

Molybdate Treatment And Sulfate Starvation Decrease Atp And Dna Levels In Ferroplasma Acidarmanus, Kai Hung

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Sulfate is a primary source of sulfur for most microbes and in some prokaryotes it is used an electron acceptor. The acidophile Ferroplasma acidarmanus (strain fer1) requires a minimum of 150 mM of a sulfate-containing salt for growth. Sulfate is assimilated by F. acidarmanus into proteins and reduced to form the volatile organic sulfur compounds methanethiol and dimethyldisulfide. In the absence of sulfate, cell death occurs by an unknown mechanism. In this study, cell viability and genomic DNA and ATP contents of F. acidarmanus were monitored in response to the absence of sulfate or the presence of sulfate and the …

Molybdate Treatment And Sulfate Starvation Decrease Atp And Dna Levels In Ferroplasma Acidarmanus, Kai F. Hung

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Sulfate is a primary source of sulfur for most microbes and in some prokaryotes it is used an electron acceptor. The acidophile Ferroplasma acidarmanus (strain fer1) requires a minimum of 150 mM of a sulfate-containing salt for growth. Sulfate is assimilated by F. acidarmanus into proteins and reduced to form the volatile organic sulfur compounds methanethiol and dimethyldisulfide. In the absence of sulfate, cell death occurs by an unknown mechanism. In this study, cell viability and genomic DNA and ATP contents of F. acidarmanus were monitored in response to the absence of sulfate or the presence of sulfate and the …

Do Hospitalists Or Physicians With Greater Inpatient Hiv Experience Improve Hiv Care In The Era Of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy? Results From A Multicenter Trial Of Academic Hospitalists, John A. Schneider, Qi Zhang, Andrew Auerbach, David Gonzales, Peter Kaboli, Jeffrey Schnipper, Tosha B. Wetterneck, David L. Pitrak, David O. Meltzer

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background. Little is known about the effect of provider type and experience on outcomes, resource use, and processes of care of hospitalized patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Hospitalists are caring for this population with increasing frequency.

Methods. Data from a natural experiment in which patients were assigned to physicians on the basis of call cycle was used to study the effects of provider type—that is, hospitalist versus non hospitalist—and HIV-specific inpatient experience on resource use, outcomes, and selected measures of processes of care at 6 academic institutions. Administrative data, inpatient interviews, 30-day follow-up interviews, and the National Death …

Annotation Of The Bacteriophage 933w Genome: An In-Class Interactive Web-Based Exercise, Kai F. Hung

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Old Acetogens, New Light, Steven Daniel, Harold Drake, Anita Gößner

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Acetogens utilize the acetyl-CoA Wood-Ljungdahl pathway as a terminal electron-accepting, energy-conserving, CO2-fixing process. The decades of research to resolve the enzymology of this pathway (1) preceded studies demonstrating that acetogens not only harbor a novel CO2-fixing pathway, but are also ecologically important, and (2) overshadowed the novel microbiological discoveries of acetogens and acetogenesis. The first acetogen to be isolated, Clostridium aceticum, was reported by Klaas Tammo Wieringa in 1936, but was subsequently lost. The second acetogen to be isolated, Clostridium thermoaceticum, was isolated by Francis Ephraim Fontaine and co-workers in 1942. C. thermoaceticum became the most extensively studied acetogen and …

Adaptation Of The Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Envelope Glycoproteins To New World Monkey Receptors, Beatriz Pacheco, Stephane Basmaciogullari, Jason A. Labonte, Shi-Hua Xiang, Joseph Sodroski

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection encounters an early block in the cells of New World monkeys because the CD4 receptor does not efficiently support HIV-1 entry. We adapted HIV-1(NL4-3) and HIV-1(KB9), two HIV-1 variants with different envelope glycoproteins, to replicate efficiently in cells expressing the CD4 and CXCR4 proteins of the common marmoset, a New World monkey. The HIV-1(NL4-3) adaptation involves three gp120 changes that result in a specific increase in affinity for the marmoset CD4 glycoprotein. The already high affinity of the HIV-1(KB9) envelope glycoproteins for marmoset CD4 did not significantly change as a result of the …

Offsprings Of Hypertensive Parents Have Higher Blood Pressure And Bmi, Syed Faraz Kazim, Muhammad Bilal Salman, Akbar Jaleel Zubairi, Aisha Afzal, Usman Ahmad, Philippe M Frossard

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Genetic Variation In Mother-Child Acute Seroconverter Pairs From Zambia, Federico G. Hoffmann, Xiang He, John T. West, Philippe Lemey, Chipepo Kankasa, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Objective: To characterize the envelope (env) glycoprotein of HIV-1 in mother-infant pairs (MIP) that underwent near simultaneous or acute-phase seroconversion, we examined the env sequence of the transmitted viruses and compare viral evolution within the pair.

Design: Three MIP from a Zambian cohort that seroconverted at the same sampling time were identified and followed longitudinally.

Methods: The V1-V5 region of the HIV-1 env gene was sequenced for each sample collected. Phylogenetic and population genetics analyses were carried out to subtype the viruses, estimate relationships among viral genotypes, and compare molecular evolution between the viral populations. …

A Versatile Assay For The Identification Of Rna Silencing Suppressors Based On Complementation Of Viral Movement, Jason G. Powers, Tim L. Sit, Feng Qu, T. Jack Morris, Kook-Hyung Kim, Steven A. Lommel

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

The cell-to-cell movement of Turnip crinkle virus (TCV) in Nicotiana benthamiana requires the presence of its coat protein (CP), a known suppressor of RNA silencing. RNA transcripts of a TCV construct containing a reporter gene (green fluorescent protein) (TCV-sGFP) in place of the CP open reading frame generated foci of three to five cells. TCV CP delivered in trans by Agrobacterium tumefaciens infiltration potentiated movement of TCV-sGFP and increased foci diameter, on average, by a factor of four. Deletion of the TCV movement proteins in TCV-sGFP (construct TCVΔ92-sGFP) abolished the movement complementation ability of TCV CP. Other known suppressors of …

Design Of A Multiplex Pcr Assay For The Detection Of Neisseria Gonorrhoeae., Elizabeth J. O'Callaghan

Theses

The incidence of N. gonorrhoeae infections in Ireland has been steadily increasing since 2003. Culture is currently the preferred method of diagnosis, however the sensitivity of culture can be low. In recent years there has been increased interest in non-culture techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Many of the PCR assays available have been shown to cross-react with commensal organisms, producing false positive results. This study aimed to improve the detection of N. gonorrhoeae by designing a multiplex PCR assay that used two N. gonorrhoeae genes as targets, thereby providing dual detection and confirmation of a positive result. PCR …

Epidemiology And Drug Resistant Profiles Of Candida Species, In Cork Hospitals., Emma Mccurtin

Theses

Candida causes superficial infections in healthy individuals; however in the immunocompromised host Candida can cause invasive, systemic infections and is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. This is not due to a more virulent phenotype but to a weakened immune system unable to fight this opportunistic pathogen. The immunocompromised population is ever increasing, due to medical advancements and more aggressive treatments, and hence is the need for epidemiological data of these potentially life threatening infections. The aim of this study was to provide an epidemiological snapshot, of Candida infections from the immunocompromised population in Cork hospitals. Surveillance programmes from …

Mupirocin Resistance In Staphylococci: An Investigation Of Current Status And Potential Alternative Therapies, Susan O'Shea

Theses

Mupirocin is a topical antibiotic used in hospital infection control practices to control transmission of staphylococci, in particular MRSA, which has become a major problem in Irish hospitals and has a significant impact on patient morbidity and mortality. Overreliance on mupirocin to eradicate MRSA carriage and to prevent infection has led to mupirocin resistance among staphylococcal species. Two distinct types of resistance have developed within strains: low'-level mupirocin resistance (LMR) and high-level mupirocin resistance (HMR).

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and types of mupirocin resistance in a large population of clinical staphylococcal isolates including Methicillin …

Clostridium Difficile: Comparative Evaluation Of Two Detection Techniques And Characterisation Of Clinical Isolates., Rebecca Dennehy

Theses

Clostridium difficile is one of the most common causes of antibiotic associated diarrhoea. The presence of C difficile in stool samples may be detected by a variety of means including enzyme immunoassays and culture. Enzyme immunoassays detect the presence of the toxins produced by the organism, toxin A and/or toxin B, but are known to lack sensitivity. The aim of this study was to compare the commercial ELISA assay currently used for the detection of C difficile toxins in Waterford Regional Hospital to culture for the organism to selective media. To compare the sensitivity of the two methods serial dilutions …

The Viral Etiology Of Aids-Associated Malignancies, Peter C. Angeletti, Luwen Zhang, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

The first documented cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) were characterized by the presence of rare Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) skin lesions. More than 10 years later, it was discovered that the causative agent of KS was a γ-herpesvirus, human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) (KS-associated herpesvirus, KSHV). It is now abundantly clear that cancers induced by viral agents [such as, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human papillomavirus (HPV)] are exacerbated by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and subsequent immune suppression. For example, the incidence of and primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma (PCNSL) and Hodgkin’s and high grade B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHL), nasopharyngeal carcinoma …

Limited Functional Conservation Of A Global Regulator Among Related Bacterial Genera: Lrp In Escherichia, Proteus And Vibrio, Robert E. Lintner, Pankaj K. Mishra, Poonam Srivastava, Betsy M. Martinez-Vaz, Arkady B. Khodursky, Robert M. Blumenthal

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Bacterial genome sequences are being determined rapidly, but few species are physiologically well characterized. Predicting regulation from genome sequences usually involves extrapolation from better-studied bacteria, using the hypothesis that a conserved regulator, conserved target gene, and predicted regulator-binding site in the target promoter imply conserved regulation between the two species. However many compared organisms are ecologically and physiologically diverse, and the limits of extrapolation have not been well tested. In E. coli K-12 the

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Humboldt Journal Of Microbiology: Volume 10, Number 1- May 2008, Press Humboldt

Humboldt Journal of Microbiology

No abstract provided.

Identification Of Lactic Acid Bacteria In Michigan Cherry Wines, Emily Henk, Margaret Dietrich, Terri Weese

Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts

Many factors contribute to the final flavor of wine. One factor is malolactic fermentation, during which lactic acid bacteria (LAB) transform the harsh tasting malic acid into a more drinkable lactic acid in grape wine. The role of LAB in the production of cherry wine is completely unknown. The goal of this study is to identify the species of LAB in cherry wine and compare them to those found in grape wines. Bacteria from cherry wine were grown on general media plates and plates fortified with malic acid, which may provide optimal growing conditions for the LAB. To identify the …

Detection And Molecular Epidemiological Analysis Of Acute Gastroenteritis Viruses In The South Of Ireland, Grainne Lennon

Theses

Rotavirus infections are considered to be the most common cause of severe gastroenteritis in children under the age of 5 years, and are responsible for up to 611,000 deaths annually, mainly in developing countries. From 1997 to 1999, 16 hospital laboratories in the Republic of Ireland reported to detection of 4,643 cases of rotaviral disease, while in 2004 and 2005 and increase of 1,600 and 2,251 rotavirus cases were reported. These rotavirus cases have a significant impact on the healthcare system with the minimum cost per case being €728.40. A large percentage of the infections were reported in neonates, suggesting …

Analysis Of Adenovirus And Bovine Coronavirus., Kevin Lane

Theses

This investigation involved the analysis of selected gastroenteritis viruses, adenovirus and bovine coronavirus, obtained from faecal samples, collected from hospital and diagnostic laboratories respectively in Cork city, Ireland. The viruses isolated from these samples were subjected to analysis using cell culture and nucleic acid extraction. In addition adenovirus was analysed using PCR and PCR followed by restriction endonuclease digest. Many samples contained more than one gastroenteritis virus, the virus of interest and a natural co-infection with rotavirus species. Rotavirus infections in Ireland have been extensively studied and we were interested in studying singly and doubly infect samples.

Bovine enteric coronavirus …

The Response Of Vascular Dermal Enodethial Cells To House Dust Mite Extracts, Aaron Mathew Newman

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

House dust mites are microscopic arthropods that can trigger moderate allergic symptoms such as sneezing, watery eyes, itching, and wheezing in sensitized individuals. People with more serious allergies to house dust mites can develop allergic diseases like atopic dermatitis and asthma. The effects of house dust mites on allergy sufferers make house dust mites and the study of their effects on the human body of great medical and economic importance. A majority of the research that has been done on house dust mite's effects on humans has dealt with the lungs and relevant disease like asthma. Little work has been …

Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 Productively Infects Mature Terminally Differentiated Eosinophils In Hiv/Aids Patients, Jude N. Atem

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Eosinophils express membrane CD4 protein and can bind HIV-1 glycoprotein (gp) 120. Therefore, eosinophils could serve as host cells for HIV-1 infection in vivo, especially in the late phase of the infection. In culture, HIV-1 infects eosinophil precursors and primary eosinophils. Additionally HIV-1 proviral DNA sequences have been detected in the eosinophils of some HIV-1 positive patients. Since elevated levels of eosinophils occur during HIV-1 infection and parasitic infections, it implies that co-infection of parasites and HIV-1 could cause a much greater increase in the level of potential HIV-1 susceptible eosinophils. Therefore HIV-1 infection of eosinophils could partly explain the …

The Role Of Phospholipase D (Pld) And Grb2 In Chemotaxis, Katie J. Knapek

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Phospholipase D (PLD) is an enzyme that hydrolyzes phosphatidylcholine yielding choline and phosphatidic acid. PLD is activated by mitogens (lead to cell division) and motogens (leading to cell migration). PLD is known to contribute to cellular proliferation and deregulated expression of PLD has been implicated in several human cancers. PLD has been found to play a role in leukocyte chemotaxis and adhesion as studied through the formation of chemokine gradients. We have established a model of cell migration comprising three cell lines: macrophages RAW 264.7 and LR-5 (for innate defense), and fibroblast COS-7 cells (for wound healing). COS-7 cells respond …

Evolutionary And Structural Analyses Of Alpha-Papillomavirus Capsid Proteins Yields Novel Insights Into L2 Structure And Interaction With L1, John Lowe, Debasis Panda, Suzanne Rose, Ty Jensen, Willie Hughes, For Yue Tso, Peter C. Angeletti

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Background: PVs (PV) are small, non-enveloped, double-stranded DNA viruses that have been identified as the primary etiological agent for cervical cancer and their potential for malignant transformation in mucosal tissue has a large impact on public health. The PV family Papillomaviridae is organized into multiple genus based on sequential parsimony, host range, tissue tropism, and histology. We focused this analysis on the late gene products, major (L1) and minor (L2) capsid proteins from the family Papillomaviridae genus Alpha-papillomavirus. Alpha-PVs preferentially infect oral and anogenital mucosa of humans and primates with varied risk of oncogenic transformation. Development of evolutionary associations between …

Early Childhood Infection By Human Herpesvirus 8 In Zambia And The Role Of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Coinfection In A Highly Endemic Area, Veenu Minhas, Kay L. Crabtree, Ann Chao, Tendai J. M'Sola, Chipepo Kankasa, Marc Bulterys, Charles D. Mitchell, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Kaposi’s sarcoma occurs at high incidence among Zambian adults and children, but there is a paucity of data on human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) incidence and routes of infection, especially in children. Between 1998 and 2004, the authors conducted a prospective study of viral transmission in a cohort of 684 children in Lusaka, Zambia, to estimate the annual incidence of HHV-8 from birth through 48 months of age. Maternal and pediatric human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection status was also determined. The results, based on 1,532 child-years of follow-up, showed that HHV-8 seroconversion occurs early in life. The incidence rate …

Modified Kigali Combined Staging Predicts Risk Of Mortality In Hiv-Infected Adults In Lusaka, Zambia, Philip J. Peters, Isaac Zulu, Nzali G. Kancheya, Shabir Lakhi, Elwyn Chomba, Cheswa Vwalika, Dhong-Jin Kim, Ilene Brill, Jareen Meinzen-Derr, Amanda Tichacek, Susan A. Allen

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

We assessed the utility of the modified Kigali combined (MKC) staging system for predicting survival in HIV-infected Zambian adults in a prospective, longitudinal, open cohort. From 1995 to 2004, HIV-discordant couples (one HIV-infected partner and one HIV-negative partner) were recruited from couples’ voluntary counseling and testing centers in Lusaka, Zambia and followed at 3-month intervals. MKC stage, which incorporates clinical stage with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), hematocrit, and body mass index (BMI), was determined at enrollment. Kaplan–Meier survival and Cox proportional hazard methods were used to calculate median survival and relative hazards. We enrolled 1479 HIV-discordant couples with a combined …

Development Of An Immunofluorescence Assay Using Recombinant Proteins Expressed In Insect Cells To Screen And Confirm Presence Of Human Herpesvirus 8-Specific Antibodies, Veenu Minhas, Lynsey N. Crosby, Kay L. Crabtree, Saul Phiri, Tendai J. M'Soka, Chipepo Kankasa, William J. Harrington, Charles D. Mitchell, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), or Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS)-associated herpesvirus, has been linked to all forms of KS. The results of most current serological assays for the detection of HHV-8-specific antibodies have low levels of concordance among themselves. To establish a sensitive and specific testing strategy that can be used to screen for HHV-8-specific antibodies, three HHV-8 proteins, ORF65, ORF73, and K8.1A, were expressed by using baculoviral vectors in insect cells and incorporated into a monoclonal antibodyenhanced immunofluorescence assay (mIFA) termed the Sf9 three-antigen mIFA. The results obtained by this mIFA were compared to those obtained by a standard mIFA with …