Microbiology Commons^™

Observed And Expected Incidence Of Cervical Cancer In Lusaka And The Southern And Western Provinces Of Zambia, 2007 - 2012, Mulele Kalima, Kennedy Lishimpi, Jane L. Meza, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway, Susan C. Msadabwe, Catherine K. Mwaba, Aaron L. Shibemba, Lewis Banda, Charles Wood, Robert M. Chamberlain, Amr S. Soliman

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Objectives—Cervical cancer is increasing but underestimated in developing countries. We calculated the observed and expected incidence of cervical cancer in Lusaka and Southern and Western provinces of Zambia.

Methods/Materials—Data for 2007-2012 was obtained for the 3 provinces. Data included age, residence, year of diagnosis, marital status, occupation, HIV, stage, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Expected incidence in Southern and Western provinces was calculated based on observed incidence for Lusaka province, adjusting for HIV.

Results—Crude and age-standardized incidence rates (ASR) in Lusaka were 2-4 times higher than incidence in the other 2 provinces. Lusaka had a rate of 54.1/10⁵ and ASR of …

Crf07_Bc Strain Dominates The Hiv-1 Epidemic In Injection Drug Users In Liangshan Prefecture Of Sichuan, China, Lin Li, Daying Wei, Wan-Ling Hsu, Tianyi Li, Tao Gui, Charles Wood, Yongjian Liu, Hanping Li, Zuoyi Bao, Siyang Liu, Xiaolin Wang, Jingyun Li

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

The Liangshan prefecture in Sichuan province is an area in China severely affected by the HIV epidemic, with intravenous drug use (IDU) as the main risk factor. No reports on HIV subtypes prevalent in IDUs in Liangshan prefecture could be found. In this study, we have characterized the genotypes of HIV-1 in the IDU population in Liangshan prefecture and further determined the phylogenetic relationship of the CRF07_BC strains to HIV-1 sequences from the other regions of China, including Xinjiang and Yunnan provinces, to explore the pattern and possible diffusion pathway of HIV-1 in these regions. HIV-1-seropositive drug-naive IDUs identified in …

Hiv Integrase Mechanisms Of Resistance To Raltegravir, Elvitegravir, And Dolutegravir, Kyla Nicole Ross

Wayne State University Theses

ABSTRACT

HIV INTEGRASE MECHANISMS OF RESISTANCE TO RALTEGRAVIR, ELVITEGRAVIR, AND DOLUTEGRAVIR

by

KYLA ROSS

December 2015

Advisor: Dr. Ladislau Kovari

Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Degree: Master of Science

HIV-1 integrase (HIV-1 IN or IN) is a multimeric enzyme that integrates the HIV-1 genome into the chromosomes of infected CD4+ T-cells. Currently there are three FDA approved HIV-1 IN strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) used in clinical practice: raltegravir (RAL), elvitegravir (ELV), and dolutegravir (DTG). The [Q148H], [Q148H, G140S], [Q148R], [Q148R, G140A] and [N155H, E92Q] mutations decrease IN susceptibility to RAL and ELV and may result in therapeutic failure. As an …

Antimicrobial-Resistant Listeria Species From Retail Meat In Metro Detroit, Liziane Da Rocha

Wayne State University Theses

A total of 138 Listeria isolates, including 58 Listeria welshimeri, 44 Listeria monocytogenes, and 36 Listeria innocua, from retail meat were characterized by antimicrobial susceptibility tests against nine antimicrobials. In addition, the 44 L. monocytogenes were analyzed by serotype identification using PCR and genotyping using pulsed-filed gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Resistance to one or two antimicrobials was observed in 32 Listeria (23.2%). No multidrug resistance was identified. Tetracycline resistance was the most common resistance phenotype and identified in 22 Listeria isolates. Low prevalence of resistance to ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, gentamicin, and vancomycin was also detected. L. innocua demonstrated the highest overall prevalence …

Purification And Characterization Of Bcsc; An Integral Component Of Bacterial Cellulose Export, Emily D. Wilson Ms

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Biofilms are a growing concern in the medical field due to their increased resistance to antibiotics. When found in a biofilm, bacteria can have antibiotic resistance 10-1000 times that of their planktonic counterparts. Therefore, it is important to study the formation of biofilms. Cellulose biofilms are formed by Enterobacteriaceae, such as many Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. strains. Biofilms provide these species with benefits including antimicrobial protection, development of bacterial communities, promotion of DNA exchange, uptake of nutrients, and, in the case of cellulose biofilms, immune system evasion. Cellulose biofilms are controlled by the Bacterial cellulose synthesis (Bcs) complex located …

Ph Dependent Antibiotic Resistance Of An Alkaliphilic, Halotolerant Bacterium Isolated From Soap Lake, Washington, Tiffany Charlynn Edwards

Masters Theses

"Soap Lake, located in Washington State, is a meromictic, soda lake. Many bacterial isolates retrieved from Soap Lake have been noted to possess resistance to multiple antibiotics. A likely explanation for the wide range of antibacterial resistance exhibited by these strains is due to the impact of high alkalinity on the antibiotics themselves and not due to the presence of antibiotic resistance genes. The aim of our study was to determine if select antibiotics are effective against Halomonas eurialkalitoleranis, a bacterium capable of growth over a wide range of neutral to alkaline pH values, to investigate the influence of alkalinity …

The Role Of Central Metabolism And Electron Transport In Biofilm Formation By Vibrio Fischeri, Jakob Michael Ondrey

Master's Theses

Biofilms protect bacteria from environmental threats, including antibiotics; thus, biofilms formed during infections pose an increasing threat to human health. A natural model used to study biofilm formation in the context of a host is the symbiosis between Vibrio fischeri and its host, the squid Euprymna scolopes. Successful colonization depends on the formation of a biofilm and genes involved in making the polysaccharide matrix component, syp. In culture, biofilm phenotypes, including the formation of wrinkled colonies, similarly depend on syp. However, little is known about other factors that contribute to this phenotype. To expand the utility of currently available genetic …

The Contribution Of The Female Urinary Microbiota To Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms, Travis Kyle Price

Master's Theses

The recent finding that urine is not sterile raises a lot of questions: first and foremost, what microorganisms are present, and are these microorganisms correlated with clinical urinary symptoms? Recent work on the female urinary microbiota (FUM) found that the communities of microorganisms differ between women with no lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and those with Urgency Urinary Incontinence (UUI) a form of over-active bladder syndrome. Specifically, a diverse or dysbiotic urinary microbiota was found to be associated with symptomatic women. This suggests the possibility that the FUM can be contributing to urinary symptoms. Conversely, it could also suggest that …

Malaria Transmission Blocking Vaccines, Lukasz Jacek Sewera

Master's Theses

Malaria affects 198 million people and kills 584,000 each year, predominantly in Sub-Saharan Africa (WHO). The most severe form of malaria is caused by the protozoan parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Development of a vaccine against P. falciparum has been hindered by its complex life cycle with multiple antigenically distinct human and mosquito stages. To effectively prevent disease and reduce the parasite burden in populations, a vaccine will need to target multiple stages, including blocking transmission at the mosquito stage.

Antibodies generated against P. falciparum mosquito stage antigen Pfs25 can prevent parasite transmission from humans to mosquitoes. However, Pfs25 is poorly immunogenic …

Determining The Role Of The Ahr In Immunoglobulin Expression And Class Switch Recombination, Bassam Fawaz Kashgari

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The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated cytosolic transcription factor that regulates xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes. It mediates the toxicity of various environmental chemicals such as 2,3,7,8-tetracholorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). TCDD inhibits the differentiation of B cells into antibody-secreting cells and inhibits immunoglobulin (Ig) expression in various animal models. We have previously determined that TCDD-induced inhibition of the mouse Ig heavy chain gene (mo-Igh) is AhR-dependent. This inhibition may be mediated by binding of the AhR to dioxin response elements (DREs) within the 3'Igh regulatory region (3'IghRR) and inhibition of 3'IghRR activity, a significant transcriptional regulator of Ig expression. However, there are structural …

Development Of Novel Fluorescent Tools For Investigating Virulence Factors And Drug Susceptibility In Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Kaley Wilburn

HIM 1990-2015

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the causative agent of Tuberculosis (TB), a life-threatening disease primarily affecting the lungs that infects about one third of the world's population and causes 1.3 million deaths annually. It is estimated that TB has been infecting humans for around 70,000 years and has killed more people than any other infectious disease. The highly effective, persistent, and multifaceted virulence strategies that have allowed Mtb to continue to spread and thrive for so long are still poorly understood at the molecular level. This lack of knowledge contributes to ongoing challenges to curing TB. Although drugs capable of killing …

Detection Of Drug-Resistance Conferring Snps In Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Using Binary Dnazymes, Marina Addario

HIM 1990-2015

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the pathogen that causes Tuberculosis (TB) and is responsible for an average of 1.5 million deaths annually. Although a treatment regimen does exist, Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR-TB) and eXtremely Drug Resistant (XDR-TB) TB strains are becoming a more prevalent concern partly due to failure of patient compliance with the current six to nine month drug treatment regimen. The current diagnostic methods are not able to identify these MDR and XDR-TB strains efficiently therefore more effective point-of-care (POC) diagnostics and drug susceptibility testing (DST) are urgently needed to detect drug resistance and facilitate prompt, appropriate treatment plans. In …

Elucidating The Molecular Pathway Of Atypical Plasmodium Falciparum Kinases Through Substrate Characterization, Daniel Segarra

HIM 1990-2015

Plasmodium falciparum, the organism responsible for the most prevalent and most virulent cases of malaria in humans, poses a major burden to the developing world. The parasite is increasingly developing resistance to traditional therapies, such as chloroquine, so the need to determine novel drug targets is more prevalent than ever. One such method involves targeting proteins unique to the malarial proteome that do not have homologues in humans. An especially promising group of targets are protein kinases, which are involved in many different biochemical pathways within the cell. Eukaryotic cell cycle progression is moderated by a family of protein kinases …

Developing Microbial Biomarkers To Non-Invasively Assess Health In Wild Elk (Cervus Canadensis) Populations, Samuel B. Pannoni

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

The composition of the intestinal bacterial community (intestinal microbiome) of mammals is associated with changes in diet, stress, disease and physical condition of the animal. The relationship between health and the microbiome has been extensively demonstrated in studies of humans and mice; this provides strong support for its potential utility in wildlife. When managing elk (Cervus canadensis), federal and state agencies currently must rely on invasive sampling and coarse demographic data on which to base their decisions. By developing microbiome-based biomarkers that vary as a function of elk body condition and disease (i.e. microbial biomarkers), we hope to …

Chemoenzymatic Studies To Enhance The Chemical Space Of Natural Products, Jhong-Min Chen

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Natural products provide some of the most potent anticancer agents and offer a template for new drug design or improvement with the advantage of an enormous chemical space. The overall goal of this thesis research is to enhance the chemical space of two natural products in order to generate novel drugs with better in vivo bioactivities than the original natural products.

Polycarcin V (PV) is a gilvocarcin-type antitumor agent with similar structure and comparable bioactivity with the principle compound of this group, gilvocarcin V (GV). Modest modifications of the polyketide-derived tetracyclic core of GV had been accomplished, but the most …

An Examination Of Eisenia Fetida Coelomic Fluid For Antimycobacterial Activity, Christopher William Meiers

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem with real world consequences to human health and no known solution. The genus Mycobacterium contains several bacteria that can cause serious illnesses including tuberculosis and Johne’s disease. Some of these pathogens also have resistance to several antibiotics. This project sought to find antimycobacterial activity related to the phagocytic coelomocytes or soluble substances in the coelomic fluid of the earthworm Eisenia fetida. The phagocytic activity was determined by observing the adherence of phagocytes to Mycobacterium smegmatis (strain mc2155) bacteria. The antimycobacterial ability of the coelomic fluid was assessed by comparison of viable plate counts after …

Studies On The Effects Of Plant Variety And Root Exudate Compounds On The Soil Microbial Community, Márton Szoboszlay

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Plants modify the soil environment through their root system, changing its physical properties and exuding compounds that promote or inhibit the growth of certain microorganisms. Therefore the structure of the soil microbial community is different in the rhizosphere than in the bulk soil. This dissertation introduces three research projects that investigated the effects of specific root exudate compounds on the soil microbial community structure, and plant cultivar specific differences in the rhizosphere microbiota.

The progenitor of maize is Balsas teosinte (Zea mays subsp. parviglumis). In a greenhouse experiment we compared the structure and function of its bacterial and …

Mechanism Of Inactivation By High Voltage Atmospheric Cold Plasma Differs Between Escherichia Coli And Staphylococcus Aureus, Lu Han, Sonal Patil, Daniela Boehm, Vladimir Milosavljević, Patrick J. Cullen, Paula Bourke

Articles

Atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) is a promising non-thermal technology effective against a wide range of pathogenic microorganisms. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a crucial inactivation role when air or other oxygen containing gases are used. With strong oxidative stress, cells can be damaged by lipid peroxidation, enzyme inactivation and DNA cleavage. Identifying ROS and understanding their role is important to advance ACP applications to a range of complex microbiological issues. In this study, the inactivation efficacy of in-package, high voltage (80 kV_RMS) ACP (HVACP) and the role of intracellular ROS were investigated. Two mechanisms of inactivation were observed …

Humboldt Journal Of Microbiology: Volume 17, Number 1- May 2015, Press Humboldt

Humboldt Journal of Microbiology

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Pathogenic And Drug Resistance Mechanisms Of Staphylococcus Aureus, Whittney Burda

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We have previously identified σS, an ECF sigma factor that is important in the virulence and stress response of S. aureus. Transcriptional profiling of sigS revealed that it is differentially regulated in a variety of laboratory and clinical strains of S. aureus, suggesting that there exists a regulatory network that modulates its expression. In order to identify direct regulators of sigS expression, we performed a biotin pull down assay in tandem with mass spectrometry. We identified CymR as a direct regulator and observed that sigS expression is increased in cells lacking cymR. In addition, transposon mutagenesis was performed to identify …

Exploring The Role Of Intracellular Aminopeptidases In Staphylococcus Aureus Pathogenesis, Devon Nicole Marking

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus is a remarkably pathogenic bacterium that is widely prevalent among the human population. It is the leading agent of skin and soft tissue infections, and is also responsible for causing an array of severe and life threatening diseases. The invasiveness of the pathogen, coupled with increasing antibiotic resistance seen for S. aureus infections, makes this bacterium a prominent public health concern. The extended pathogenicity of S. aureus is largely due to its repertoire of virulence factors, which are typically characterized by being bound to the cell wall, or secreted into the extracellular environment. Previously, our lab identified a …

Mcl1 Enhances The Survival Of Cd8+ Memory T Cells After Viral Infection, Jingang Gui, Zhuting Hu, Ching-Yi Tsai, Tian Ma, Yan Song, Amanda Morales, Li-Hao Huang, Ethan Dmitrovsky, Ruth Craig, Edward Usherwood

Dartmouth Scholarship

Viral infection results in the generation of massive numbers of activated effector CD8+ T cells that recognize viral components. Most of these are short-lived effector T cells (SLECs) that die after clearance of the virus. However, a small proportion of this population survives and forms antigen-specific memory precursor effector cells (MPECs), which ultimately develop into memory cells. These can participate in a recall response upon reexposure to antigen even at protracted times postinfection. Here, antiapoptotic myeloid cell leukemia 1 (MCL1) was found to prolong survival upon T cell stimulation, and mice expressing human MCL1 as a transgene exhibited a skewing …

Atmospheric Cold Plasma As A Tool For Microbiological Control, Dana Ziuzina

Doctoral

Outbreaks of foodborne human illnesses resulting from contaminated raw or minimally processed fruits and vegetables have been widely reported globally. The microbiological challenges associated with fresh produce are diverse and respond differently to minimal processing technologies. Atmospheric cold plasma is a relatively new technology and represents a potential alternative to traditional methods for decontamination of foods. The objective of this work was to determine the influence of extrinsic atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) treatment control parameters and to optimize treatment parameters for decontamination with respect to different forms of key safety challenges pertinent to fresh produce.

The optimisation studies demonstrated that …

Role Of Crebh In Endotoxin Mediated Modulation Of Hepatic Metabolism, Aditya Prakash Dandekar

Wayne State University Dissertations

Bacterial endotoxins can induce a variety of physiological changes in the host. This effect is not only restricted to inflammatory changes but also comprises metabolic changes in the host body. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), one of the key components of the bacterial cell walls, is capable of triggering host metabolic changes. Hyperlipidemia usually accompanies with high endotoxin levels as well as inflammation. Lipid metabolism disorders are one of the common hallmarks of a patient with sepsis or high levels of endotoxin through diet. Previously, we have identified an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) anchored liver-specific transcription factor CREBH (cAMP-responsive element-binding protein, hepatocyte-specific), which is …

Characterisation And Applications Of Natural Lactic Acid Bacteria With Emphasis On Weissella Cibaria And Associated Exopolysaccharide, Kieran M. Lynch

Theses

The work presented in this thesis characterises natural cereal-derived lactic acid bacteria and examines their potential application in the dairy fermentation area, with special emphasis on the sourdough isolate, Weissella cibaria MGl and its associated glucan homoexopolysaccharide. This strain is notable for its high-level production of dextran, being termed a “hyper-producef’. Genome sequencing and analysis of a number of IV. cibaria strains was performed in the context of available genomic data for other Weissella species, with special focus on the metabolic traits of W. cibaria MGl, and the results represent the first study to explore members of the Weissella genus …

Exploiting Bacteriophages And Associated Peptidoglycan Hydrolases With Potential For Biocontrol In Food Related Applications, Lorraine Endersen

Theses

The work presented in this thesis describes the isolation and characterisation of novel bacteriophages, and the subsequent exploitation of their bactericidal properties against two opportunistic food related pathogens, Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) and Cronobacter sakazakii.

MAP is a proven animal pathogen known to cause Johne’s disease in cattle but has been implicated as a causative agent of Crohn’s disease in humans. Despite the fact that this association has yet to be proven, significant focus has been directed towards evaluating the consequences of consuming milk contaminated with MAP. Accordingly, six mycobacteriophages were isolated and characterised in terms of temperature and …

The Effect Of Antibiotics On Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilm Production, Courtney Paige Turpin

Online Theses and Dissertations

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become an increasing burden worldwide. A highly resistant species is Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a nosocomial pathogen that produces a biofilm that enhances its resistance. This project examined the possibility of using bacteriocin, an internal protective toxin produced by some species of bacteria, as a potential treatment for resistant bacteria. In this study, standard broad spectrum antibiotics were used to treat P. aeruginosa to prevent biofilm formation. The biofilm was then analyzed to determine if the biofilm is inhibited or facilitated by each treatment. Optimal concentrations of antibiotics were determined to be effective at a concentration of 0.07mg/mL for …

Silver Nanoparticles Inhibit The Binding And Replication Of Dengue Virus, Kelley J. Williams

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Dengue is an emerging hemorrhagic fever virus and widely considered the most important arbovirus in the world. The CDC and the World Health Organization estimates Dengue virus (DENV) infects 50-400 million people annually in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. More than 500 thousand of these will develop severe infection and approximately 22 thousand will lead to death. Dengue virus (DENV) is a positive-sense RNA virus that exists in 4 antigenic serotypes. An immunological phenomenon called antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) leaves a DENV victim vulnerable to increased risk of subsequent infections. Secondary infections with DENV are known to increase …

The Impact Of Hsv-1 Infection On Cell Viability, Morphology, And Cd Markers Expression By Unpolarized And Cytokine-Polarized J774a.1 Mouse Macrophages, Sarah Saad Alsharif

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Macrophages play an important role in the immune system, particularly in neutralizing pathogens via phagocytosis and the production of multiple cytokines and chemokines that control infection after exposure to specific stimuli. Macrophages exhibit two different phenotypes, M1 and M2. This study evaluated the role of Suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS)1 and SOCS3 on Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV-1) infection of polarized macrophages, cell viability, cell morphology, and the expression of cell surface CD markers. I hypothesized that J774A.1 murine macrophages cells in the naive state (M0), and M1 and M2 phenotypes would display differences in CD markers CD80,CD163, and CD200R, cell …

Inhibition Of Nectin-1 And Herpes Virus Entry Mediator (Hvem) Using Monoclonal Antibodies Decreases Hsv-1 Entry Into Neuro-2a Cells, Erica Marie Rinehart

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This study examines the effects of blocking the nectin-1 and Herpes Virus Entry Mediator (HVEM) receptors on Neuro-2a (N2a) cells in order to prevent HSV-1 infection. These two receptors have been identified as a primary and secondary mode of entry for HSV-1. Since there was some debate about the correct serum level to be used in growth media for healthy N2a cells, three concentrations (2%, 5%, 10%) were used to examine relative growth and neurite development, in addition to examining possible differences in infectivity levels in all other experiments. There was a difference in general morphology, with neurite abundance and …