Microbiology Commons^™

Oral Prevalence Of Akkermancia Muciniphila Among Pediatric And Adult Orthodontic And Non-Orthodontic Patients, Ching Shen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Akkermansia muciniphila (AM) is one of many highly abundant intestinal microbes that influences homeostasis and metabolic disorders and may also play a role in oral disorders. However, there is little evidence regarding the oral prevalence of this organism. Based upon this lack of evidence, the primary goal of this project is to survey an existing saliva repository to determine the overall prevalence of this organism and any associations with demographic or patient characteristics (age, sex, body mass index, race/ethnicity, orthodontic therapy). Using an approved protocol, a total n = 141 pediatric samples from an existing saliva repository were screened using …

Investigating The Impact Of Edaphobacter Aggregans (Wbg-1) On Arabidopsis Thaliana Development, Julia Talbert

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Acidobacteria is a phylum of bacteria that make up 50% of soil microbes. While making up a large proportion of bacteria found in soil, this phylum is largely unexplored with limited information about the bacteria and their impact on plant growth. The selected target of this study is Edaphobacter aggregans, WBG-1, which is a part of a subdivision of acidobacteria. Examining the bacteria’s effects on the development of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana will provide insight into understanding this unknown phylum of soil-dwelling bacteria. Acidobacteria are an important realm to investigate as they affect agriculture practices. With Missouri being such …

Analysis Of Microbial Abundance On Marine Snow In The Deep Ocean, Matthew Qilan Thompson

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

The ocean plays a critical role in the carbon cycle, with phytoplankton serving as a source of energy and nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus) to larger organisms in upper trophic levels. Additionally, marine snow, a cluster of components including dead zooplankton, organic carbon debris, and polymers as carbohydrates, proteins, and DNA, transport these nutrients and associated microorganisms to the deeper parts of the ocean. However, the relationship between microbial abundance and particle sizes of marine snow across the water column is not well understood. Previous studies suggest that microbial abundance is lower in the bathypelagic zone (1,000m - 4,000m) …

A Forensic Assessment Of Current Water Quality Using Idexx Techniques In The Himmarshee Canal And New River In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Catherine Margaret Bilodeau

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Fecal contamination has continued to plague local communities around the United States and the world, especially in highly populated areas like Southern Florida. Newer techniques are beginning to be used to track microbes properly as they are found in waterways. Some more recent techniques in Microbial Source Tracking (MST) use IDEXX kits to detect fecal indicator bacteria (FIB). Two IDEXX kits Colilert-18^® which detects total coliforms and Escherichia coli in water or fecal coliforms in wastewater, and Enterolert^®, which targets enterococci, were used in the waterways of the Himmarshee Canal and South Fork of the New River …

Testing Of Indazole Inhibitors Of Kasa, A Vital Enzyme Of M. Tuberculosis, Karissa Highlander

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Tuberculosis is a disease that affects the lungs caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). Although drug treatment options exist, increased rates of antibiotic resistant strains have become more prevalent in recent years, driving a need for new treatment approaches. KasA, a β-ketoacyl synthase, has been found to synthesize parts of the cell wall and been identified as an attractive drug target. Previous medicinal chemistry research has been completed to synthesize six effective competitive inhibitors of KasA that would potentially block the enzyme from binding the substrate, preventing elongation of the backbone and creation of the mycolic fatty acids that …

Antibacterial Properties Of Devil’S Walking Stick And Winged Sumac Extracts, Raven L. Turner, Kayla L. Medina

ATU Scholars Symposium

Many native plants are used for the treatment of various diseases. Mainly those species in high chemical compound plant families can have antimicrobial properties. We selected two native plants in Arkansas, Devil’s walking stick (Aralia spinosa), and Winged sumac (Rhus copallinum), and tested them for antibacterial properties. We used three gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus epidermidis) and three gram-negative bacteria (Alcaligenes faecalis, Escherichia coli, and Serratia marcescens). The disc diffusion method is employed to identify any potential antibacterial properties for the two plant species. For this experiment, 6.50 g of dehydrated plant material (leaves of each plant …

Distribution Of Micropredators In The Longleaf Pine Soil Microbiome, Faith Arends, Eithar Mirghani

Symposium of Student Scholars

Bacterial micropredators of the soil, like their larger-scale counterparts, play a key role in shaping their ecosystem and are thus of particular interest from an ecological standpoint. An important micropredator to study are Myxobacteria. Myxobacteria are gram-negative rod-shaped social bacteria that hunt in wolf packs to lyse their prey and facilitate their growth. Myxobacteria are a potential source of novel antibiotics, therefore, the isolation of new strains is of great interest. We investigated longleaf pine soil as a source of novel isolates. The Longleaf Pine Ecosystem is an endangered ecosystem that is of crucial importance due to its ability to …

Antibacterial Activity Of Native Plants In Arkansas, Kayla L. Medina, Raven L. Turner, Katie Huffman

ATU Scholars Symposium

American beautyberry (Callicarpa Americana), Sugarberry (Celtis laevigata) and Red buckeye (Aesculus pavia) are native plants of Arkansas. Plant families with species having high chemical compounds can have antimicrobial properties. In this study, the antibacterial properties of the plants are investigated against three gram positive (Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus epidermidis) and three negative bacteria (Alcaligenes faecalis, Escherichia coli, and Serratia marcescens). The disc diffusion assay method is employed to identify any potential antibacterial properties of the plants. For this experiment, 6.41 g of dehydrated plant material (leaves for both species) was combined with 50 mL of 75% ethanol creating …

Pyrus Calleryana Extracts Reduce Germination Of Native Grassland Species, Suggesting The Potential For Allelopathic Effects During Ecological Invasion, Michaela J. Woods, Jonathan T. Bauer, Dena Schaeffer, Ryan W. Mcewan

Biology Faculty Publications

Invasive plant species’ success may be a result of allelopathy, or the release of secondary metabolites that are harmful for surrounding plant species. Allelopathy can be mediated through the abiotic environment by chemical sorption or transformation, so the substrate on which interactions occur can lead to differential outcomes in allelopathic potential. One aggressive invader, Pyrus calleryana, has become dominant in many ecosystems throughout Eastern US, and has reduced the abundance of native species where it invades. Thus, our goal was to identify if P. calleryana had allelopathic potential by testing the impact of leaf and flower leachate on gemination …

Effects Of Cyanobacteria Harmful Algal Blooms On The Microbial Community Within Lake Okeechobee, Fl, Usa, Paisley S. Samuel

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The Lake Okeechobee (Lake O) watershed is a Floridian freshwater ecosystem that has been affected by the increased frequency and intensity of harmful cyanobacterial bloom (cyanoHAB) events occurring over recent decades. Lake O has several ecological and economic purposes such as providing habitats for various organisms and providing drinking water to urban communities surrounding the lake. Toxic cyanoHAB events are posing a threat to the ecosystem and economy of the lake due to the degradation of water quality. This study investigates how the microbial community structure within Lake O is affected by annual cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms over several years …

Functional Domains Of The Hsv-1 Ul37 Protein In Virus Infectivity And Retrograde Transport In Neurons, Carolyn Clark

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Herpes simplex virus type 1 is large alphaherpesvirus with 20 envelope proteins and 23 tegument proteins. Virus entry is via fusion of the viral envelope with cellular membranes mediated by a complex of viral glycoproteins. Glycoprotein B (gB) is the only fusogenic glycoprotein, while other viral glycoproteins and membrane proteins including gD, gH, gL, gK and UL20 membrane protein modulate gB’s fusogenicity. Previously, Our laboratory developed the HSV-1 (VC2) vaccines strain with partial deletions in the amino termini of gK (ΔgK(31–68)) and the UL20 membrane protein (ΔUL20(4–22)). VC2 enters epithelial cells only via endocytosis followed by release of the capsid …

The Presence Of Tetracycline-Resistant Bacteria In A Kean University Campus Soil Sample, Esther Blankson, Jessica Kobilas, Gianna Medeiros

Kean Quest

The spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the environment is a worldwide problem that threatens human health. Bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics as the consumption of antibiotics grows. In particular, soil can be contaminated with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. As of today, there is no surveillance system that tracks the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, however, Tufts University aims to change this by implementing the Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance in the Environment (PARE) project. The course-based PARE project consists of research students sampling soil in diverse locations and reporting the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The purpose of …

The Role Of Community In Immunity Against Sars-Cov-2, Jessica Kobilas

Kean Quest

This literature review investigated the roles genes activated by social interactions had in helping to build immunity against COVID-19. Past studies have shown that individuals who are more socially connected are less likely to become ill due to social interactions strengthening the immune system through optimal exposure to bacteria and viruses in the environment. The IL-6 and TLR4 genes that are activated through social interactions and associated with cytokines have been analyzed in cases of various viral infections. Cytokines play a role in inflammation and have both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses to infections and viruses. The results suggest that the …

Cancer-Specific Perturbations To Arginine Metabolism Blunt Replication And Performance Of Oncolytic Myxoma Virus, Parker Dryja

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Oncolytic virotherapy (OV) is a class of immunotherapy for treatment of malignancy. Using viruses that exhibit natural coincidental tropisms for cancer, or others that have been engineered to the same effect, intentional infection of lesions leads to two therapeutically beneficial effects: (1) direct destruction of the infected tumor through virally-mediated cell lysis, and (2) recruitment of an otherwise blunted or absent anti-cancer immune response to affect both local and disseminated disease. A surfeit of cancer-specific changes are accumulated during progression from first genetic insult to clinical detection, presenting a dramatically altered underlying biology of cell and tissue. The viruses employed …

Mycorrhizal Symbioses And Plant Interactions, Domenico Prisa

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The growing interest in mycorrhizal fungi in agriculture is related to their symbiotic relationships with cultivated plants. Thanks to functional genomics approaches, mycorrhizae and symbioses with host plants have emerged for their fea-tures. Besides improving nutritional supply, plant-fungal interactions increase plants' tolerance to abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity and cold, as well as their resistance to diseases. Recent studies have investigated the interactions between plants and mycorrhizae, however the mechanisms often remain unclear. Indeed, plants in the field are affected by various stresses and results often appear contradictory. This review is aimed at presenting the most relevant studies in …

Growth Response Of Not-Ready-To-Distribute Tea (Camellia Sinensis (L) O. Kuntze) Seedlings Due To Application Of Biofertilizer At Various Concentrations And Intervals, Intan Ratna Dewi Anjarsari, Santi Rosniawaty, Johannes Yesse Panggabeaan

Jurnal Kultivasi

The plantation rejuvenation program makes the need for ready-to-distribute tea seedlings getting higher. Meanwhile, the nursery's seedlings are mostly not ready to distribute. This study aimed to determine the response of not-ready-distribute tea seedlings due to the application of biofertilizers at various concentrations and intervals. This experiment was carried out at Gambung Tea and Quinine Research Center Nursery, conducted from December 2021 to February 2022 at an altitude of 1,350 meters above sea level (asl). The experimental method used was a randomized block design with eight treatment combinations, namely: control (no fertilizer); urea fertilizer every two weeks; Biofertilizer 5 mL …

Application Of A Novel Lytic Jerseyvirus Phage Lpsent1 For The Biological Control Of The Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella Enteritidis In Foods, Rashad R. Al-Hindi, Mona G. Alharbi, Ibrahim Alotibi, Sheren A. Azhari, Khloud M. Algothmi, Ahmed Esmael

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Non-typhoidal Salmonella is the tremendously predominant source of acquired foodborne infection in humans, causing salmonellosis which is a global threat to the healthcare system. This threat is even worse when it is combined with the incidence of multidrug-resistant Salmonella strains. Bacteriophage therapy has been proposed as a promising potential candidate to control a diversity of foodborne infective bacteria. The objective of this study designed to isolate and characterize lytic phages infecting zoonotic multi-drug resistant and strong biofilm producer Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis EG.SmE1 and then apply the isolated phage/s as a biocontrol agent against infections in ready-to-eat food articles including …

The Application Of Microbial Source Tracking To Aid In Site Prioritization For Remediation In Lower Michigan, John J. Hart

Masters Theses

Non-point source fecal pollution is a threat to both the environment and public health. Climate change, aging infrastructure, and intensified agricultural practices are predicted to accentuate this issue. In Michigan, due to the high instance of aging infrastructure and intensified agriculture, non-point source fecal pollution has caused many waterbodies to exceed the state standards posing a risk to recreational activities and source water. Due to this threat, there is an increased effort to identify and remediate these sources. My study focused on improving the identification of non-point source fecal pollution through a combination of culture-based and molecular fecal indicator bacteria …

Development, Optimization, And In Vitro/In Vivo Evaluation Of Azelaic Acid Transethosomal Gel For Antidermatophyte Activity, Ali Nasr, Noha Badawi, Yasmine Tartor, Nader Sobhy, Ali Nasr

Pharmacy

Treatment of dermatophytosis is quite challenging. This work aims to investigate the antidermatophyte action of Azelaic acid (AzA) and evaluate its efficacy upon entrapment into transethosomes (TEs) and incorporation into a gel to enhance its application. Optimization of formulation variables of TEs was carried out after preparation using the thin film hydration technique. The antidermatophyte activity of AzA-TEs was first evaluated in vitro. In addition, two guinea pig infection models with Trichophyton (T.) mentagrophytes and Microsporum (M.) canis were established for the in vivo assessment. The optimized formula showed a mean particle size of 219.8 ± 4.7 nm and a …

The Sars-Cov-2 Utr’S Intrudes Host Rbp’S And Modulates Cellular Splicing, Anjali Singh, Kush Kumar Pandey, Shubham Kumar Agrawal, Rupesh K. Srivastava, Sankar Bhattacharyya, Bhupendra Verma

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus that causes a potentially fatal respiratory disease known as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and is responsible for the ongoing pandemic with increasing mortality. Understanding the host-virus interaction involved in SARS-CoV-2 pathophysiology will enhance our understanding of the mechanistic basis of COVID-19 infection. The characterization of post-transcriptional gene regulatory networks, particularly pre-mRNA splicing, and the identification and characterization of host proteins interacting with the 5' and 3'UTRs of SARS-CoV-2 will improve our understanding of posttranscriptional gene regulation during SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. Here, we demonstrate that either SARS-CoV-2 infection or exogenous overexpression of the 5' and 3’UTRs of the …

Reactive Chlorine Species Reversibly Inhibit Dnab Protein Splicing In Mycobacteria, Daniel Wahl

Scholars Week

Intervening proteins, or inteins, are mobile genetic elements translated within host polypeptides and removed at the protein level by splicing. In protein splicing, a selfmediated reaction removes the intein, leaving only a peptide bond in place. While protein splicing can proceed in the absence of external co-factors, several natural examples of conditional protein splicing (CPS) have emerged. In CPS, the rate and accuracy of splicing is highly-dependent on environmental conditions. As activity of the intein-containing host protein is compromised prior to splicing, and inteins are highly abundant in the microbial world, CPS represents an emerging form of …

Role Of Microorganisms In Communication Between Soil And Plants, Domenico Prisa

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Microbial population in the rhizosphere establishes a number of important interactions with plants, whose study is crucial in perspective of sustainable agricultural production. Studies on various plant crops have revealed that, despite the complex microbial biodiversity of the soil, the bacterial microbiome is characterised by multiple functionalities. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms, underlying the interactions between plants and the microbiome, could enable better development of plants, related to the beneficial action of microorganisms. Therefore, this review aims to describe the characteristics of the rhizosphere microbiome with the interactions that occur between soil and roots, as well as the …

The Effects Of Specialized Pro-Resolving Mediator Lipoxin A4 On Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilms And Interactions With Monocytes, Julianne M. Thornton

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is an opportunistic pathogen known as a major cause of hospital-acquired secondary infections, commonly causing chronic respiratory infections in immunocompromised individuals, especially those with cystic fibrosis, and often found in wound infections. P. aeruginosa uses the quorum sensing pathway to readily form protective biofilms, which reduce the efficacy of antibiotics and access by host immune cells to eradicate the pathogen. Specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) are lipids endogenously produced by the host immune response to infection to aid in infection resolution. One SPM, Lipoxin A4 (LxA4), has been shown to be a robust quorum sensing inhibitor.

The …

Investigating The Antibacterial And Immunomodulatory Properties Of Lactobacillus Acidophilus Postbiotics, Rachael M. Wilson

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Probiotics are nonpathogenic microorganisms that have been extensively studied for their ability to prevent various infectious, gastrointestinal, and autoimmune diseases. The mechanisms underlying these probiotic effects have not been elucidated. However, we and other researchers have evidence suggesting that probiotic bacteria secrete metabolites that are antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. As such, we developed a methodology to collect the secreted metabolites from a probiotic bacterium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and tested this cell free filtrate (CFF) both in vitro and in vivo. Using this CFF, we have demonstrated that L. acidophilus secretes a molecule(s) that has specific bactericidal activity against the opportunistic pathogen, Pseudomonas …

Microbial Community Interactions Between Honey Bee Symbionts, Jillian P. Lewis

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Bombella apis is a bacterial honey bee symbiont that benefits larvae by supplementing their nutrition and protecting them from pathogenic fungi. B. apis co-occurs with another bee-associated bacterium, Apilactobacillus kunkeei, in certain hive niches: nectar, larvae, honey stomachs of nurse bees, the queen gut, and royal jelly. Because bacterial species existing in the same ecological niche are apt to form microbial communities that interact, these interactions may modulate B. apis’ positive impact on the honey bee larvae. We hypothesize that due to its faster growth, A. kunkeei outcompetes B. apis for shared resources in nutrient rich conditions such …

Variation In Synthetic Floral Microbiome Composition Is Largely Ignored By Foraging Bumblebees, Nevin P. Cullen

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Most flowers are occupied by diverse communities of microbes, which can alter floral attractiveness to key pollinators and floral fitness by interacting with floral traits. Different species of flower often acquire unique communities of microbes. Consequently, pollinators are frequently forced to choose between two flowers with distinct floral microbiomes while foraging. However, it is currently unknown whether pollinators have an inherent preference for flowers containing one floral microbiome over another, and whether microbial preference is modified by variation in floral traits. We investigated this knowledge gap using distinct bacteria and yeasts cultured from a nickel-hyperaccumulating plant and its non-accumulating relative. …

An Optimal Patch Use Model For Nitrogen Foraging In Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi, Xin Lin

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Optimal Foraging Theory has been widely used to study animal foraging behaviors, but has seldom been applied to symbiotic microbes like arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. To date we know little about how AM fungi make decisions to forage in different nutrient patches. To help address this gap we here apply Optimal Foraging Theory to understand how AM fungi forage for nitrogen. We focus on nitrogen because AM fungi need more nitrogen than their plant hosts and soil nitrogen availability can shift the relationship between AM fungi and their hosts from mutualism to parasitism. We present a stochastic dynamic programming model …

Elevated Co2 Drives Community And Network Structural Change Within Foliar Microbiomes Of Soybean, Connor Morozumi

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Microbiomes within plants can play large roles in determining responses to stress or perturbation, increasingly common in a rapidly changing world. For example, foliar endophytes are known to increase stress tolerance to drought and decrease herbivory among many other effects. How these microbes are likely to respond to global change themselves is poorly understood. Global changes, such as increased atmospheric CO₂, which can influence host plant physiological processes, have the potential to directly and indirectly alter microbiome community structure. Here, we assessed community and network structure of bacterial and fungal phyllosphere microbiomes within soybean (Glycine max). …

Initial Steps In Testing The Stress Gradient Hypothesis For Selenium Exposure In Soil Bacteria, Kristian J. Harris

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

The Stress Gradient Hypothesis (SGH) states that interspecific interactions should shift from competitive to facilitative interactions as environmental stress increases. Selenium (Se) is a naturally occurring metalloid that acts as an environmental pollutant and as an essential micronutrient. Due to its metallic properties, Se acts as an oxidative stress and can be toxic to plants and animals. Given this, Se in soil systems acts as an abiotic stress that influences species composition and species interactions. Within soils, bacteria and fungi have evolved to tolerate Se via detoxification and Se processing for respiration and studies show that metal detoxification traits like …

Metagenomic And Meta-Transcriptomic Analysis Reveal The Colonization And Expression Profile Of Probiotic Strains In Humans And Animals, Yunjuan Peng, Routing Chen, Zhihao Zhang, Rui Jin, Ting Xe, Xinting Liu, Jianmin Chai, Samantha Howe, Jiangchao Zhao, Ying Li, Feilong Deng

Animal Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

In humans and animals, probiotics are widely accepted as crucial for host health and growth. The investigation of the probiotic colonization and expression of probiotics in the host is beneficial for proper usage of probiotics and isolation of indigenous probiotics. In this study, we analyzed commonly used probiotic strains in the intestines/rumen of humans and animals by analyzing metagenomic and paired meta-transcriptomic data from the gut or rumen microbiome of humans (n = 13), pigs (n = 6), chickens (n = 6), cattle (n = 14), sheep (n = 10), and mice (n = …