Microbiology Commons^™

Investigating Streptococcus Pneumoniae And Adenovirus Co-Infections Of Lung Epithelial Cells, Mark Nicholas Calabro

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Co-infection is common among viruses and bacteria in the human respiratory system. Adenovirus (AdV) and Streptococcus pneumoniae are clinically relevant respiratory pathogens that cause morbidity and mortality in a variety of patient populations with the highest morbidity occurring among immunocompromised individuals, but also prevalent in infants and the elderly. Acute respiratory distress syndrome may become severe in healthy individuals when co-infection with S. pneumoniae and AdV occurs due to synergistic effects of the pathogens on the host. I hypothesized that S. pneumoniae infection decreases AdV transduction of airway epithelia. To test this hypothesis, we utilized the polarized immortalized airway epithelial …

Effects Of Nitrogen Fertilization And Bioenergy Crop Species On Central Tendency And Spatial Heterogeneity Of Soil Glycosidase Activities, Min Yuan, Jianjun Duan, Jianwei Li, Siyang Jian, Lahiru Gamage, Kudjo E. Dzantor, Dafeng Hui, Philip A. Fay

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Extracellular glycosidases in soil, produced by microorganisms, act as major agents for decomposing labile soil organic carbon (e.g., cellulose). Soil extracellular glycosidases are significantly affected by nitrogen (N) fertilization but fertilization effects on spatial distributions of soil glycosidases have not been well addressed. Whether the effects of N fertilization vary with bioenergy crop species also remains unclear. Based on a 3-year fertilization experiment in Middle Tennessee, USA, a total of 288 soil samples in topsoil (0–15 cm) were collected from two 15 m2 plots under three fertilization treatments in switchgrass (SG: Panicum virgatum L.) and gamagrass (GG: Tripsacum dactyloides L.) …

Evaluating The Microbial Experience Influence On Anti-Tumor Immune Response, Jessica A. Ensing

Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts

Despite the steady increase of hygienic standards, the CDC continues to report an increase of immune-mediated diseases such as allergies and asthma. Human avoidance of microbial exposure and subsequently less experienced immune systems may be the cause for this increase. We investigated if increased microbial exposure results in increased immunity to cancer (B16 melanoma) by measuring activated lymphocytes between two groups of C57Bl/6 mice: specific pathogen free (SPF) mice (which had little microbial exposure) and cohoused (COH) mice (which were exposed to numerous microbes). Previous research shows that the CoH mouse model mimics a human adult’s immune system, while the …

Diverse Community Of Arsenic Resistant Bacteria Display Arsenate Reducing Capabilities, Stephanie Maeda

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Naturally found in soil and water environments arsenic is toxic to many organisms, carcinogenic to humans, and poses a significant public health risk. Yet communities of bacteria found thriving in arsenic ridden environments have evolved mechanisms to tolerate and exploit both oxidation states of this heavy metal (arsenite and arsenate). As the site of an old arsenic mine, Black Mountain Open Space Park in San Diego, California has yielded concentrations of arsenic in the soil between 111-14,800 ppm. Exceeding average arsenic soil concentrations and levels considered safe in the environment by the World Health Organization, we sought to characterize the …

Study Of A Putative Niche Adapting Operon In Microbes Inhabiting The Gut Of Blood Digesting Animals, Marlene Abouaassi

University Scholar Projects

The sialic acid utilization (SAU) operon is a horizontally acquired gene set that allows bacteria to utilize sialic acid as an alternate source of carbon and nitrogen in the guts of blood eating animals. Sialic acid often occurs as a terminal sugar in complex glycoproteins. It functions in cell signaling and adhesion. Sialic acid is an important component of the cellular envelope of animals. Some microorganisms have evolved to decorate their own surface with sialic acid to evade the host’s immune response (molecular mimicry). The SAU operon encodes enzymes that hydrolyze sialic acid from glycoproteins, transport sialic acid into the …

Study Of A Putative Niche Adapting Operon In Microbes Inhabiting The Gut Of Blood Digesting Animals, Marlene Abouaassi

Honors Scholar Theses

The sialic acid utilization (SAU) operon is a horizontally acquired gene set that allows bacteria to utilize sialic acid as an alternate source of carbon and nitrogen in the guts of blood eating animals. Sialic acid often occurs as a terminal sugar in complex glycoproteins. It functions in cell signaling and adhesion. Sialic acid is an important component of the cellular envelope of animals. Some microorganisms have evolved to decorate their own surface with sialic acid to evade the host’s immune response (molecular mimicry). The SAU operon encodes enzymes that hydrolyze sialic acid from glycoproteins, transport sialic acid into the …

Innovative Approaches In The Discovery Of Aquatic Mycobacteriophages, Janis H. Doss

Biomedical Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Bacteriophages (phages), viruses that infect bacteria, have many applications in medicine, agriculture, molecular biology, and other fields. As antibiotic resistance becomes an increasing problem, interest in phages has grown. The traditional techniques of phage discovery are successful for some phages, but others require modified procedures to achieve detectable host infection.

Mycobacterium is a diverse bacterial genus characterized by a unique cell wall containing mycolic acids, which aids in survival and pathogenesis. The aims of the present research were to isolate mycobacteriophages, use bioinformatics techniques to analyze mycobacterial prophages, and combine genetic analysis with multi-well plate host range studies to identify …

Covid-19: In The Absence Of Vaccination – ‘Mask-The-Nation’, Roy D. Sleator, Steven Darby, Alan Giltinan, Niall Smith

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

“In the absence of a vaccine, or effective antiviral, one of our only remaining strategies for controlling COVID-19 is to physically block the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the community”

Contributions Of Gyra And Parc Mutations And Qnrs2 Acquisition To Ciprofloxacin Resistance In Aeromonas Veronii Hm21, Daniel J. Silverstein

Honors Scholar Theses

In recent years, ciprofloxacin resistant (CpR) Aeromonas veronii and A. hydrophila strains have been isolated from the wounds of patients receiving leech therapy. Genome comparisons of these CpR isolates revealed the presence of chromosomal mutations in gyrA and parC as well as the gain of qnrS2 on either a large, 34 kb, conjugatable, low-copy plasmid, pAv42, or on a small, 6.8 kb, high-copy plasmid, pAh1471. The minimum inhibitory concentration, MIC, for Cp of these clinical isolates ranged from 1 to ≥32 µg/mL and some harbored a qnrS2 containing plasmid. We wanted to assess the contributions of these factors in an …

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetate 2,3-Dioxygenase Modulates The Ability Of Enterobacter Hormaechei To Induce Cryptococcus Neoformans Melanization, Amy Nelson

Honors Scholar Theses

In this study, we performed transposon mutagenesis to create a library of Enterobacter hormaechei mutants and developed a melanization assay to identify mutants that could not induce the typical melanization phenotype in Cryptococcus neoformans. Relevant phenotype labels included: “hypomelanizer”, a total lack of melanization; “hypermelanizer”, an increased melanization; or “abnormal”, an increased melanization with complete color change of the assay plate to a reddish-brown. Genomic sequencing of 47 mutants and bioinformatic analysis allowed us to pinpoint the transposon insertion site in each E. hormaechei mutant to identify the genes that were affected. A single mutant that induced the abnormal …

The Threat Of Antibiotic Resistance In Changing Climate, Aliyar Cyrus Fouladkhah, Brian Thompson, Janey Smith Camp

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

As the earliest form of life, microorganisms have elaborate mechanisms for adapting to changes in environmental conditions.

Lysogeny And Use Of Mycobacteriophage Pita2, Eleanor Behling, Neocles B. Leontis, Jill Zeilstra-Ryalls

Honors Projects

The CDC has classified antibiotic resistance as the biggest health challenge of our era; every year 2 million lives are impacted and even lost due to resistant bacteria. Bacteriophages provide an alternative route to fighting infections that does not further the development of antibiotic resistance among bacterial species. A bacteriophage replicates inside a bacterial cell and then causes that cell to lyse, an event that kills the bacterial host. However, some phage can integrate their genomes into the host chromosome without causing lysis. The HHMI SEA-PHAGES program has generated a collection of bacteriophage that infect Actinobacteria species. Over 13,000 phages …

Whole Genome Sequence Analysis Of A Transmissible Multidrug-Resistance Plasmid Captured Without Cultivation From Poultry Litter, Emma C. Eisemann

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Use of antibiotics in the agricultural industry introduces selective pressure and, consequently, could increase the presence of antibiotic resistant organisms in surrounding environments. One such environment is litter (manure and bedding) produced during large-scale poultry production in the Shenandoah Valley. Litter, with its microorganisms, is commonly applied to fields within the Shenandoah River watershed. Antibiotic resistance (AR) and virulence genes are potentially transmissible between organisms through horizontal gene transfer of genetic mobile elements, for which poultry litter could be a reservoir. The typical, culture-based approach to detecting and analyzing AR plasmids and other mobile genetic elements is limited due to …

Characterization Of The Broad-Spectrum Inhibitory Capability Of Alcaligenes Faecalis And A. Viscolactis Against Potential Pathogenic Microorganisms, Andrew Fuqua

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The recent rise of multidrug resistant microorganisms has grown from an isolated concern to a massive public health crisis. It has become imperative that scientists look for new ways to combat this issue. Due to the selective pressures of competition, bacteria and other microbes possess a host of defenses and weapons designed to exploit vulnerabilities in other microorganisms. Consequently, the study of these systems and microbial interactions has much to reveal in the search for novel antimicrobial treatments. Previous research from our laboratory has discovered that both Alcaligenes faecalis and Alcaligenes viscolactis, two rarely studied and generally non-virulent bacteria, …

Development Of In Vitro Models To Study The Rapid Extraintestinal Dissemination Of Salmonella., Adarsh Gopinath

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Salmonella appears in the bloodstream of mice in as little as 15 minutes after oral inoculation and establishes persistent colonies in the spleen and liver. While its pathway to blood is undetermined, this phenomenon is dependent on the activity of Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 (SPI-2) coded type III secretion system (T3SS) and CD18+ phagocytes. We hypothesize that dendritic cells associated with the basal face of the gut epithelium, that are naturally migratory and known to sample for luminal antigens directly transport Salmonella to the bloodstream. This process comprises of at least two phases, dissociation and reverse transmigration. We define dissociation …

Evaluation Of Microbiome On Chicken Necrotic Enteritis And Growth Performance, Mussie Abraha

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Necrotic enteritis (NE) has re-emerged following restriction of antimicrobial usage and costs $6 billion every year worldwide. The primary objective of the studies was to evaluate prevention and treatment of NE using a microbiota metabolic product, secondary bile acid deoxycholic acid (DCA), in drinking water. Day-old birds were tagged and placed in floor pens. In experiments 1 and 2, the birds were infected with Eimeria maxima (Em) at d 18 and C. perfringens at d 23 and 24 and the birds were euthanized at d 26. In experiment 3, birds were infected with Eimeria at d 20 and C. perfringens …

Antimicrobial Properties Of An Unknown Microorganism Isolated From The Local Environment, Danielle Duryea

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Bacterial species that cause disease can usually be combatted with antibiotics; but as the years pass, more and more bacterial pathogens are becoming resistant to these treatments. In fact, the Center for Disease Control has identified eighteen classes of bacteria ranging from urgent to concerning threats due antibiotic resistance (2019), warning the advance of an antibiotic resistance crisis in which untreatable bacterial infections will become a leading cause of death (Bennadi, 2014). The Small World Initiative is a program created in 2012 at Yale University to address the antibiotic crisis through a crowdsourcing effort where undergraduate students are encouraged to …

Senior Project: An Investigative Study Into The Bacterial Contamination Of Little Black Creek, Margaret I. Brenneman

Honors Projects

An investigation of Escherichia coli concentrations in a west Michigan stream was conducted to determine sources of fecal contamination that impact water quality. Little Black Creek (LBC) is located in Muskegon County and discharges into Lake Michigan at the P.J. Hoffmaster Campground Beach. Often referred to as an “indicator bacteria,” water contaminated with E. coli has a high probability to contain other enteric pathogens as well. Beach water testing in 2020 using Colilert-18 methods revealed E. coli levels of 579 cfu/100mL in the creek discharge area that exceeded total body contact criteria of 300 cfu/100mL. A follow-up study of the …

10th Annual Postdoctoral Science Symposium, University Of Texas Md Anderson Cancer Center Postdoctoral Association

Annual Postdoctoral Science Symposium Abstracts

The Annual Postdoctoral Science Symposium (APSS) was initiated on August 4, 2011, by the MD Anderson Postdoctoral Association to provide a platform for talented postdoctoral fellows throughout the Texas Medical Center to present their work to a wider audience.

APSS is a scientific symposium organized by postdoctoral fellows from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center that welcomes submissions and presentations from postdoctoral fellows from all Texas Medical Center affiliated institutions and other Houston area institutions. The APSS provides a professional venue for postdoctoral scientists to develop, clarify and refine their research as result of formal reviews and critiques …

Effects Of A Neonicotinoid Insecticide On The Growth Of Honey Bee Gut Microbes, Macee Mitchell, Daniel Franzese, Taylor Morales, Shane Lucht, Jesse Steele, Jenifer Walke

2020 Symposium Posters

The gut microbiome plays an essential role in the overall health of organisms. However, the presence and abundance of these microbes may be altered by environmental factors, such as exposure to pesticides. The goals of this project were to understand 1) the prevalence of pesticide residues in honey bees in eastern Washington, and 2) the impact of pesticides to the honey bee gut microbiome. Accordingly, we tested bees from 24 hives among six sites across eastern Washington. High-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) was used to detect the presence and concentration of six commonly used agricultural pesticides: Carbaryl, Chlorpyrifos, Coumaphos, Cypermethrin, …

Analysis Of Bacterial Dna And Water Quality: Surface Water Sampling At Gardner-Webb University, Celsea Reeder

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Part 1 of this experiment was to explore the bacterial types within the surface water on the campus of Gardner-Webb University, located in Boiling Springs, NC. Two water samples were collected from four locations on campus, including the boiling spring, Lake Hollifield, and an adjacent creek. Using the Zymo Research “Quick-DNA^™ Fungal/Bacterial Miniprep Kit,” the bacterial DNA within these samples was isolated and sent to Psomagen, Inc. for analysis. The resulting DNA sequences were analyzed through BLAST, and subsequently interpreted. For the second part of this experiment, one surface water sample was taken from the boiling spring, and another …

Survival Of Enterococcus FaeciumIn Turkey Litter Under Different Temperature And Moisture Combinations, Steven G. Mcbride, Benjamin Holland, Pradeep Vasudevan, Joanna B. Mott

Virginia Journal of Science

Untreated poultry litter introduces a substantial load of fecal pathogens to the environment, impacting agriculture, public health and ecosystem function. There is substantial evidence that temperature and moisture are the primary drivers of fecal bacteria survival across ecosystems. However, both temperature and moisture effects have been shown to be modulated by the matrix in which the fecal bacteria are living. This context dependence highlights the importance of understanding fecal bacteria survival in a variety of matrices in order to implement effective waste management plans. In this study, we determined the survival patterns of Enterococcus faecium in post-use turkey litter under …

Group B Streptococcus: Molecular Epidemiology, Pathogenic Profiling And Control Strategies, Katherine Mary Hayes

Theses

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) are frequent colonisers of the gastrointestinal tract of healthy adults with worldwide rates of 18% colonisation; however, they are also opportunistic pathogens capable of causing invasive disease, particularly in neonates and adults with underlying conditions. Indeed, GBS is the leading cause of invasive neonatal disease worldwide with a global incidence of 0.49 per 1000 live births and GBS disease in adults is increasing globally, with estimated rates of 10.9 cases per 100,000 people. While GBS remain largely susceptible to penicillin, there have been reports of reduced beta-lactam susceptibility in certain countries and resistance to other antibiotic …

The Persisting Threats Of Cholera: A Cyclical Public Health Problem In Ghana, Rita Laryea Amediavor

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of communicable diseases continues to be one of the continent's leading causes of deaths. Cholera is a waterborne disease triggered by toxigenic strains of the Gram-negative bacteria Vibrio Cholerae O1 strain and less common O139 strain. with symptoms such as severe acute watery diarrhea and vomiting leading to dehydration, progressing to hypovolemic shock and death if not treated timely due to its short incubation period (Pasetto et al., 2018). West African countries are largely portrayed as endemic to cholera, though the dynamics of outbreaks in these developing countries remain largely uncertain. The purpose of the study is to …

Comparison Of Fe(Iii) Reduction Rates By Iron-Reducing Bacteria Within Sub Muros Samples From Quadrilátero Ferrífero Iron-Ore Caves, Brazil, Summer Ellis

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Previous research investigating the speleogenesis of iron-ore caves (IOC) in the Quadrilátero Ferrífero, or “Iron Quadrangle,” of Brazil suggests that microbial iron reduction and subsequent dissolution of the surrounding Fe(III) rich rocks is responsible for cave formation. A soft intra-wall substance (sub muros) containing iron-reducing bacteria (FeRB) was discovered underneath the durable crusts of cave walls. The goal of the study was to determine if reduction rates were comparable between sub muros samples, while additionally observing how different electron donors affect microbial iron reduction. To do this, I compared Fe(III) reduction rates between sub muros samples collected from …

Bioinformatic Anlayses Of Identified But Uncultivated Microbial Dark Matter Organisms Using Archival Single Amplified Genomes (Sags), Daniel Adam Nuccio

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This project characterizes two independent, previously undescribed microbial dark matter organisms from the candidate phyla JL-ETNP-Z39 and NBK19. These characterizations are based on seven single amplified genomes (SAGs) for JL-ETNP-Z39 and six SAGs for NBK19. All SAGs used were provided by the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences Single-Cell Genomics Center (scgc.bigelow.org). Bioinformatic analyses using a combination of publicly available software and custom scripting written in the computer programming languages Python and R were carried out to determine the basic genomic properties, evolutionary relatedness, representative environmental pangenomes, and metabolic properties of these organisms. Analyses indicated that the examined JL-ETNP-Z39 SAGs are …

Microbial Profile And Antibiotic Susceptibility Trend In Postoperative Endophthalmitis: A 12-Year Review, Rashid Baig, Pushpa Bhawan Mal, Khabir Ahmed, Salman Naveed Sadiq, Sidra Zafar, Ghazala Jabeen, Saajan Kukreja

Section of Ophthalmology

Objective: To identify the microbial profile and susceptibility pattern of pathogens responsible for culture-proven postoperative endophthalmitis, and to investigate possible trends in both pathogens and antibiotic sensitivities.
Methods: The retrospective study was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised record of ophthalmology patients from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2016. Culture and sensitivity reports of vitreous and aqueous humor samples from all the patients were retrieved from the medical record section of the hospital. SPSS 19 was used for data analysis.
Results: Of the samples of 202 patients with a mean age of 58.2±15.8 years, 106(52.5%) were …

Analyzing The Role Of A Protein Downregulated After Induction Of Filamentous Growth In Candida Albicans, Jazmine Vasquez, Ian Cleary, Derek P. Thomas

McNair Scholars Manuscripts

Candida albicans is a commensal fungus, normally living with its human host, however, it has the ability to cause invasive infection. Candida albicans is the fourth most frequent nosocomial infection affecting a vulnerable immunocompromised population. Candida albicans exhibits different morphologies including yeast, pseudohyphae, and hyphae. The varying morphological potential of this organism is a virulence trait. Because of this, research has focused on what drives activation of hyphal formation as well as what impedes it. During a filamentation assay, a novel observation pertaining to a subgroup of proteins being downregulated early after germination, was made. In this study, we constructed …

9th Annual Postdoctoral Science Symposium, University Of Texas Md Anderson Cancer Center Postdoctoral Association

Annual Postdoctoral Science Symposium Abstracts

The mission of the Annual Postdoctoral Science Symposium (APSS) is to provide a platform for talented postdoctoral fellows throughout the Texas Medical Center to present their work to a wider audience. The MD Anderson Postdoctoral Association convened its inaugural Annual Postdoctoral Science Symposium (APSS) on August 4, 2011.

The APSS provides a professional venue for postdoctoral scientists to develop, clarify, and refine their research as a result of formal reviews and critiques of faculty and other postdoctoral scientists. Additionally, attendees discuss current research on a broad range of subjects while promoting academic interactions and enrichment and developing new collaborations.

Comparison Of The Kinetic Parameters Of Escherichia Coli 0157:H7, Listeria Monocytogenes And Salmonella Typhimurium Derived From The Baranyi And Huang Models In A Chemically Defined Minimal Medium, Jose Isidro Fuentes

LSU Master's Theses

Microbial growth can be characterized by parameters such as lag time, growth rate, and maximum population density at any specific point of time. Mathematical models that predict microbial growth of foodborne pathogens are increasingly used in the food industry as a viable alternative to traditional methods of microbial enumeration. The Baranyi model has been widely used as the primary model of choice by many authors because of its performance and accuracy. The most recently developed Huang model has been less implemented and few comparisons between the Baranyi and Huang models have been made when modeling pathogenic growth. For this research, …