Microbiology Commons^™

Evaluation Of Bio-Friendly Formulations From Siderophore-Producing Fluorescent Pseudomonas As Biocontrol Agents For The Management Of Soil-Borne Fungi, Fusarium Oxysporum And Rhizoctonia Solani, Gaber Attia Abo-Zaid, Ahmed Salah Abdullah, Nadia Abdel-Mohsen Soliman, Ebaa Ebrahim El-Sharouny, Abdulaziz A. Al-Askar, Yiming Su, Ahmed Abdelkhalek, Soraya Abdel-Fattah Sabry

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Secretion of siderophores by Pseudomonas aeruginosa F2 and P. fluorescens JY3 was evaluated on chrome azurol S (CAS) agar plates and their inhibitory effect was inspected against Fusarium oxysporum and Rhizoctonia solani. Production of siderophores as biocontrol agents from F2 and JY3 was accomplished in two optimized media. Afterward, cell-free supernatants of the bacterial cultures containing siderophores were used for the preparation of two bio-friendly formulations for the management of F. oxysporum and R. solani under greenhouse conditions. The investigated bacterial isolates, F2 and JY3, showed antagonistic activity in vitro against F. oxysporum and R. solani and produced siderophores …

Evaluating Vaccine Management Strategies For Edwardsiella Ictaluri Infections In Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Brandy Malbrough

LSU Master's Theses

Aquaculture is a globally important industry that faces significant challenges due to infectious diseases, which can result in substantial financial losses. In 2011, a new strain of Edwardsiella ictaluri emerged as a major pathogen affecting zebrafish in the ornamental fish industry, leading to high mortality rates and posing a severe threat to the sector. Vaccines provide potential benefits for disease prevention in aquaculture, particularly live-attenuated vaccines (LAVs), which induce strong host immune responses. Bacterial attenuation for vaccine development has evolved from serial passage to more targeted genetic modification techniques. However, regulatory constraints limit the availability of licensed LAVs for aquaculture. …

Microbe Hunters, Paul De Kruif

Zea E-Books Collection

Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif was first published in 1926 by Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York. It dramatically recounts the breakthrough discoveries of the fundamental elements of bacteriology. It features exciting profiles of Antony Leeuwenhoek, Lazzaro Spallanzani, Louis Pasteur, Robert Koch, Émile Roux, Emil Behring, Élie Metchnikoff, Theobald Smith, David Bruce, Ronald Ross, Battista Grassi, Walter Reed, and Paul Ehrlich. Their development of germ theory and its scientific proofs led to the first effective treatments for human diseases like anthrax, rabies, diptheria, malaria, sleeping sickness, syphilis, and yellow fever. They also made discoveries that saved the dairy, wine, …

Diving Into Aquatic Microbial Ecology And Evolution With Anne Thompson, Anne Thompson

PDXPLORES Podcast

On this episode of PDXPLORES, Assistant Professor of Biology, Anne Thompson, discusses her award-winning research work studying the diverse ecology of microorganisms found in Earth’s oceans. Thompson’s research examines microbial mortality impacts on the structure of oceanic food webs, carbon flow, and cell interactions that create dynamic patterns of nutrient and energy abundance within diverse aquatic ecosystems.

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Yes-Associated Protein-1 Overexpression In Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia; A Potential Diagnostic Marker And Therapeutic Target, Peter Julius, Stepfanie N. Siyumbwa, Fred Maate, Phyllis Moonga, Guobin Kang, Trevor Kaile, John T. T., Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Yes-associated protein-1 (YAP-1) is a Hippo system transcription factor, which serves as an oncogene in squamous cell carcinoma, and several solid tumors when the Hippo pathway is dysregulated. Yet, the activity of YAP-1 in ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) has not been determined. Here, we investigate the relationship between YAP-1 overexpression and OSSN. Using a cross-sectional study design, we recruited 227 OSSN patients from the University Teaching Hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess YAP-1 protein overexpression in tumor tissue relative to surrounding benign squamous epithelium. OSSN patient samples (preinvasive, n = 62, 27% and invasive, n = …

Horizontal Transfer Of Probable Chicken-Pathogenicity Chromosomal Islands Between Staphylococcus Aureus And Staphylococcus Agnetis, Douglas D. Rhoads, Jeff Pummil, Nnamdi S. Ekesi, Adnan A.K. Alrubaye

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Staphylococcus agnetis is an emerging pathogen in chickens but has been most commonly isolated from sub-clinical mastitis in bovines. Previous whole-genome analyses for known virulence genes failed to identify determinants for the switch from mild ductal infections in cattle to severe infections in poultry. We now report identification of a family of 15 kbp, 17–19 gene mobile genetic elements (MGEs) specific to chicken osteomyelitis and dermatitis isolates of S. agnetis. These MGEs can be present in multiple copies per genome. The MGE has been vectored on a Staphylococcus phage that separately lysogenized two S. agnetis osteomyelitis strains. …

Characterization Of Antimicrobial Properties Of Excrement And Functional Microbiome Of Black Vultures (Coragyps Atratus), Bridgette Gray

Theses

Black vultures, Coragyps atratus, are obligate scavenging birds that consume and dispose of decaying carcasses and carrion. They fulfill a key ecological niche in the environments in which they live. It has been observed that these vultures sometimes excrete bodily waste onto their legs. This adaptive behavior could help aid them in controlling bacteria and other microbes they encounter while stepping into a carcass to eat. This study directly examined the antimicrobial properties of the excrement of black vultures across various bacterial species utilizing a zone of inhibition test and a nematode species utilizing a survival assay. The black vulture …

Silver Ions Inhibit Bacterial Movement And Stall Flagellar Motor, Benjamin Russell, Ariel Rogers, Ryan Yoder, Matthew Kurilich, Venkata Rao Krishnamurthi, Jingy Chen, Yong Wang

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Silver (Ag) in different forms has been gaining broad attention due to its antimicrobial activities and the increasing resistance of bacteria to commonly prescribed antibiotics. However, various aspects of the antimicrobial mechanism of Ag have not been understood, including how Ag affects bacterial motility, a factor intimately related to bacterial virulence. Here, we report our study on how Ag⁺ ions affect the motility of E. coli bacteria using swimming, tethering, and rotation assays. We observed that the bacteria slowed down dramatically by >70% when subjected to Ag⁺ ions, providing direct evidence that Ag⁺ ions inhibit the motility …

Sympatric Soil Microbe Interactions Between Streptomyces And Fusarium Isolates, Lehren A. Olk-Szost

All NMU Master's Theses

Interkingdom interactions between soil bacteria and fungi may play a critical role in occurrence of disease suppressive soils, yet our understanding of these interactions remains limited. Streptomyces are well-known producers of antimicrobial compounds important to medicine and agriculture. Production of these secondary metabolites is often mediated by quorum sensing. Most Streptomyces research occurs in single species experiments, yet new metabolites have been discovered in interspecies co-culture experiments. Interspecies, intergenic, and interkingdom co-culture research will likely reveal many valuable compounds, and strengthen our understanding of complex ecological interactions in soil microbiomes. Interactions between sympatric Streptomyces and Fusarium isolates from disease suppressive …

Nac1 Confines Virus‐Specific Memory Formation Of Cd4+ T Cells Through The Rock1‐Mediated Pathway, Liqing Wang, Hao-Yun Peng, Jugal Kishore Das, Anil Kumar, Yijie Ren, Darby J. Ballard, Xiaofang Xiong, Wen Yang, Xingcong Ren, Paul De Figueiredo, Jin-Ming Yang, Jianxun Song

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Nucleus accumbens‐associated protein 1 (NAC1), a transcriptional cofactor, has been found to play important roles in regulating regulatory T cells, CD8 + T cells, and antitumor immunity, but little is known about its effects on T‐cell memory. In this study, we found that NAC1 expression restricts memory formation of CD4 + T cells during viral infection. Analysis of CD4 + T cells from wild‐type (WT) and NAC1‐ deficient (−/−) mice showed that NAC1 is essential for T‐cell metabolism, including glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation, and supports CD4 + T‐cell survival in vitro. We further demonstrated that a deficiency of NAC1 downregulates …

Exploring The Interactions Between Sars-Cov-2 And Host Proteins, Sojan Shrestha

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the current pandemic, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). SARS-CoV-2 is considered to be of zoonotic origin; it originated in non-human animals and was transmitted to humans. Since the early stage of the pandemic, however, the evidence of transmissions from humans to animals (reverse zoonoses) has been found in multiple animal species including mink, white-tailed deer, and pet and zoo animals. Furthermore, secondary zoonotic events of SARS-CoV-2, transmissions from animals to humans, have been also reported. It is suggested that non-human hosts can act as SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs where accumulated …

Biofilms And Their Role On Diseases, Vijay Singh Gondil, Bindu Subhadra

Faculty Publications - Biological Sciences

Biofilms are complex, three-dimensional structures that provide a long-established survival mechanism for microorganisms. Biofilms play a substantial role in pathogenesis as they can evade the immune response and be highly resistant to conventional antimicrobials, thus impacting the human health and healthcare system. To address this issue, BMC Microbiology invites submissions to the collection ‘Biofilms and its impact on disease’.

A Review On Antibiotic Resistance And The Use Of Medicinal Plants In The Management Of Uropathogenic Bacteria, Hubza Ruatt Khan, Mehvish Javeed, Iqra Batool, Rabeea Anwar, Asma Ashraf, Sara Janiad

Journal of Bioresource Management

UTIs are the most prevalent infections and are caused by uropathogenic microbes such as Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus spp. Antibiotic resistance has hampered the management of UTIs over the years, with direct repercussions on the treatment cost, the infection severity, and the duration of hospitalization. This review discussed the route of infections, risk factors connected to UTIs, antibiotic resistance issues as well as an alternative therapy to overcome the problem of antibiotic resistance. The medicinal plants, which have been utilized for thousands of years to cure a variety of ailments, represent a …

In Vitro Evaluation Of Antibacterial And Anticoagulant Activities Of Harmala Alkaloids Roots, Amel Benbott, Sabah Boukeria, Hakima Beldi, Kanza Kadi, Abdelouahab Yahia

Journal of Bioresource Management

Peganum harmala L. is a wild herbal plant rich in active compounds, and is among the most used plants in local medicine. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the evaluation of some biological activities of alkaloids extract of P. harmala roots. Using the classical method of extraction of β-carboline alkaloids, the yield of alkaloids in the roots was estimated at 2.34 %. The thin layer chromatography (TLC) method identified the two components Harmine and Hrmaline in the total alkaloid extract of the roots. We evaluated the antibacterial activity of harmala alkaloids in roots against three referenced bacterial …

Assessment Of Antimicrobial Competence Of Epiphytes And Endophytes From Osmium Basilicum And Trigonella Foenum Graecum, Iram Asim, Atia Iqbal, Muhammad Ikrama Tanveer

Journal of Bioresource Management

Plant-associated bacteria are an unexplored group of microorganisms that has enormous potential. These bacteria are the source of finding new antimicrobial substances. The present study aimed to isolate and characterize the epiphytes and endophytes from Osmium basilicum and Trigonella foenum graecum plants and to determine their antimicrobial potential against pathogenic bacteria from Nishtar Hospital Multan, Pakistan. The sum of 18 stems and roots along leaf specimens were assembled as of the plant's Osmium basilicum plus Trigonella foenum graecum as of the distinct locales of the Multan city. Overall 73 bacterial strains were isolated and their colony morphology, gram staining, spore …

Molecular Epidemiology Of Antibiotic Resistance Among Escherichia Coli Isolated From Broiler Chickens Sold At Selected Markets In Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Abdilahi H. Kiula, Victor A. Makene

Tanzania Journal of Science

Unwarranted and improper uses of antibiotics in broiler farms contribute to the challenge of antibiotic resistance, making even previously treatable infections, difficult to treat. We conducted a cross sectional study from November 2021 to May 2022 from broiler chicken markets in four districts of Dar es Salaam to determine the extent of antibiotic resistance among E. coli isolates from broiler chickens. A total of 160 E. coli isolates recovered from cloacal swabs were identified by culture and biochemical tests and confirmed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assays. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing, targeting seven classes of antibiotics, was performed by disk diffusion …

Determination Of Epigallocatechin Gallate (Egcg) And Antibacterial Activities Of Commercially Available Tanzanian Green Tea (Camellia Sinensis), Raphael J Shedafa, Joseph Sempombe, Ramadhan So Nondo, Eliangiringa Kaale, Mary Temu, Peter Imming

Tanzania Journal of Science

This paper presents the results of the antibacterial activity of green tea extract (Camellia sinensis) against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 708903). Quantitative and qualitative measurements of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) have also been reported. The analysis by High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) revealed the presence of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in the green tea extracts ranging from 13.16 to 18.64 mg/g. Crude extracts GT 01–GT 03 inhibited a greater number of microorganisms and presented the lowest values of MIC against Staphylococcus aureus (0.625 mg/mL), Escherichia coli (0.625 mg/mL), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (1.25 mg/mL). …

Synthesis, Characterization And Antimicrobial Properties Of Mixed-Ligand Complexes Of Some Metal(Ii) Ions With Barbituric Acid And 1,10-Phenanthroline Ligands, Kayode Taiwo Ishola, Oluwabiyi James Olaoye, Mary Adelaide Oladipo, Omobola Ajibike Odedokun, Oyebanji Oluseun Aboyeji

Tanzania Journal of Science

Many pathogenic organisms have developed resistance to many antibiotics, which leads to an increase in the spread of many microbial infections. There is an urgent need to find more effective drugs to curb widespread transmission. Hence, this study synthesized and evaluated the antimicrobial activities of mixed-ligand complexes of Cu(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Mn(II), and Zn(II) ions with barbituric acid and 1,10 phenanthroline ligands in effort to find more effective antibiotics. The complexes were characterized using elemental analysis, metal analysis, melting points, solubility tests, and spectroscopic analyses (IR and UV-visible). The antimicrobial activities of the complexes were evaluated against two gram-positive bacteria …

Endophytic Potential Of Entomopathogenic Fungi For The Remediation Of Wastewater, Huda Bilal, Hasnain Raza, Sana Sarfaraz, Danyal Haider Khan

Journal of Bioresource Management

Phytoremediation has the potential to significantly reduce water contamination caused by excessive harmful chemicals. The degradative properties of fungi are used in fungal phytoremediation to eliminate or neutralise the hazardous pollutants present in water. The goal of the current study was to endophytize water lettuce with the two entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopilae and Trichoderma harazium. The plant is inoculated with the fungus using the root-dipping procedure. There were two main treatments and a control all with five replications. The analysis of plant and wastewater were analyzed initially like frequency of fungus remained in plant weight, root length and for …

The Pros Of Changing Trna Identity, Michael Ibba

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The notion that errors in protein synthesis are universally harmful to the cell has been questioned by findings that suggest such mistakes may sometimes be beneficial. However, how often these beneficial mistakes arise from programmed changes in gene expression as opposed to reduced accuracy of the translation machinery is still unclear. A new study published in JBC shows that some bacteria have beneficially evolved the ability to mistranslate specific parts of the genetic code, a trait that allows improved antibiotic resistance.

Acetate-Encapsulated Linolenic Acid Liposomes Reduce Sars-Cov-2 And Rsv Infection, Andrew R. Mcgill

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), is an ongoing pandemic-endemic. In the United States, it remains the third leading cause of death in 2022. SARS-CoV-2, an RNA virus, has a genome prone to rapid mutation, generating variant species capable of resisting therapies and vaccination efforts. However, it has been estimated that more than 40% of SARS-CoV-2 infections may be asymptomatic, which calls into question any biological differences between the asymptomatic and afflicted groups. Additionally, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is the most significant cause of bronchiolitis and asthma in neonates, with an increasing burden on the …

Enhancing Lovastatin Biosynthesis In Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus Ostreatus) Using Phytohormones, Fransisca Astrid Mustafa, Mamat Kandar, I Nyoman Pugeg Aryantha

Makara Journal of Science

The biosynthesis of lovastatin, the anti-cholesterol compound, in oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus), has the potential to be enhanced by utilizing phytohormones, which activate the expression of certain genes. This research aimed to determine the best type and concentration of phytohormone among auxin, gibberellin, and cytokinin, as well as the best mycelial colonization percentage in F2 medium to realize the greatest increase in lovastatin biosynthesis in oyster mushrooms. Lovastatin was extracted from the fruiting bodies and mycelia and analyzed by spectrophotometry. The analysis of CYP450 linked to lovastatin biosynthesis was conducted by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) using samples containing …

Symbiotic Ucyn-A Strains Co-Occurred With El Niño, Relaxed Upwelling, And Varied Eukaryotes Over 10 Years Off Southern California, Colette Fletcher-Hoppe, Yi-Chun Yeh, Yubin Raut, J. L. Weissman, Jed A. Fuhrman

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Biological nitrogen fixation, the conversion of N₂ gas into a bioavailable form, is vital to sustaining marine primary production. Studies have shifted beyond traditionally studied tropical diazotrophs. Candidatus Atelocyanobacterium thalassa (or UCYN-A) has emerged as a focal point due to its streamlined metabolism, intimate partnership with a haptophyte host, and broad distribution. Here, we explore the environmental parameters that govern UCYN-A’s presence at the San Pedro Ocean Time-series (SPOT), its host specificity, and statistically significant interactions with non-host eukaryotes from 2008-2018. 16S and 18S rRNA gene sequences were amplified by “universal primers” from monthly samples and resolved into Amplicon …

Wildfires Disturb The Natural Skin Microbiota Of Terrestrial Salamanders, Lubna Mulla, Obed Hernandez-Gomez

Natural Sciences and Mathematics | Faculty Scholarship

Environmental change can disturb natural associations between wildlife and microbial symbionts, in many cases to the detriment of host health. We used a North American terrestrial salamander system to assess how the skin microbiota of amphibians responds to wildfires. In northern California's redwood/oak forests, we assessed how recent wildfires affected the skin microbiota of three different salamander species (Taricha sp., Batrachoseps attenuatus, and Ensatina eschscholtzii) over two different sampling seasons in 2018 and 2021. We found species-specific responses to wildfire disturbance on the alpha diversity of the skin microbiota of terrestrial salamanders, although burning in general altered the composition of …

Ebi2, Rodney Till, Dr. Brian Poole

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My project this year was a great learning experience and helped me to better understand the complexity of lab work, as well as, the tools used in troubleshooting problems; including collaboration with lab researchers and professors. I learned about flow cytometry and how to analyze migration data. I also learned how to do transfections with HEK cells and how to separate B cells from a fresh sample of blood. I was thankful that I could spend time doing lab work because it’s the best teaching environment I know of in academia. I came across genuine problems and studied topics with …

Examination Of The Role Of The Lana Protein In Persistence Of Kaposi’S Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Infections, Marshall Sheide, Dr. Bradford Berges

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Kaposi’s sarcoma herpes virus (KSHV) is one of seven known cancer causing viruses which have the capacity to persist in the host for many years. This particular virus can undergo a long latent infection which ensures that the virus can hide by not expressing its genes. Last year, we proposed an experiment that would show the importance of a particular gene in the viral genome, LANA, in establishing a latent infection. The experiment required us to create stocks of a mutant virus that did not have the LANA gene inside (bac36deltaLANA) and then infect humanized mice with it. After infection, …

Search For Mitochondrial Dna Mutation In A Family With Myopathies And Lactic Acidosis, Mary Rennick, Dr. Brent Nielsen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This research focused on the search for the probable mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutation in one family affected with fibromyalgia and lactic acidosis. The hypothesis was that there is mixture of normal and mutated mtDNA, called heteroplasmy. I first obtained the four patients’ consent to participate in the study. The four patients were between the age of 19 and 25 years-­‐two males and two females. They donated urine samples to be used for DNA analysis. I isolated DNA using a Qiagen DNA extraction kit and obtained concentration measurements of 8-­‐ 10 nanograms per microliter using the nanodrop spectrophotometer in the RIC …

Antibody Production And Diversification In Humanized Mice, Stanton Nielsen, Dr. Brad Berges

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Many scientists are skeptical of using humanized mice to study the human adaptive immune response. The reasoning behind this skepticism stems from discrepancies in various studies seen previously. A study conducted by Traggiai et al. showed that humanized mice elicited a human adaptive immune response when challenged with the tetanus toxin (Traggiai). In addition, good antibody responses have been shown in humanized mice when challenged with Dengue virus (Kuruvilla). However, others have found only rare antibody responses to HIV when humanized mice were challenged (Baenziger). As mentioned earlier, a study conducted by Becker et al. showed the production of human …

Vitamin D3 As An Adjuvant To Produce Localized Immunity, Kaitlyn Vance, Dr. Eric Wilson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The aim of our research was to help elucidate the degree of specificity employed by antibody secreting cells (lymphocytes) through a study of the role of CCR10 in the differential homing of these cells to mucosal issues. We used vitamin D3, known to upregulate expression of CCR10 on activated lymphocytes, as an adjuvant in our vaccines and tracked cell homing to mucosal tissues that express the CCR10 ligand CCL28 by detecting antigen specific antibody accumulation. Since mucosal tissues are ideal locations for vaccinations, the long-term aim was to develop a method for targeting antigen specific lymphocytes, and thus robust immune …

Characterizing Proteins That Interact With Pas Kinase, Jordan Mackay, Dr. Julianne Grose

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Characterizing the interacting protein partners of Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) kinase has proven to be a formidable task. Since the beginning of 2012, I have been working hard with graduate student Desi DeMille on confirming the putative interactors uncovered by genetic screening done the previous year. This endeavor has yielded both successes and failures.