Microbiology Commons^™

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 …

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 …

Microbial Interactions Between Compost Bedded Pack Barn Bedding And Teat Exposure In Transition Dairy Cattle, Tanya Lynn France

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Compost bedded pack barns utilize composting methods which provide a soft surface for dairy cows to lie on. This requires optimal microbial growth, which may increase the exposure of mastitis-causing pathogens to the teats of early lactation animals. Bedding characteristics, bedding bacteria, and bacterial counts on the teat skin, teat ends, and in the milk of early lactation dairy cows housed on a compost bedded pack were assessed over a 6-month time. The main objective was to determine the relationship between environmental effects (bedding characteristics and weather conditions) and cow-level (teat skin, teat end, milk) bacteria counts over time in …

Isothermal Environmental Heat Energy Utilization By Transmembrane Electrostatically Localized Protons At The Liquid-Membrane Interface, James Weifu Lee

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

This study employing the latest theory on transmembrane electrostatic proton localization has now, for the first time, consistently elucidated a decades-longstanding bioenergetic conundrum in alkalophilic bacteria and more importantly discovered an entirely new feature: isothermal environmental heat utilization by electrostatically localized protons at the liquid-membrane interface. It was surprisingly revealed that the protonic motive force (equivalent to Gibbs free energy) from the isothermal environmental heat energy utilization through the electrostatically localized protons is not constrained by the overall energetics of the redox-driven proton pump system because of the following: (a) the transmembrane electrostatically localized protons are not free to move …

Factors Affecting The Microbiome Of Ixodes Scapularis And Amblyomma Americanum, R. Jory Brinkerhoff, Chris Clark, Kelly Ocasio, David T. Gauthier, Wayne L. Hynes

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The microbial community composition of disease vectors can impact pathogen establishment and transmission as well as on vector behavior and fitness. While data on vector microbiota are accumulating quickly, determinants of the variation in disease vector microbial communities are incompletely understood. We explored the microbiome of two human-biting tick species abundant in eastern North America (Amblyomma americanum and Ixodes scapularis) to identify the relative contribution of tick species, tick life stage, tick sex, environmental context and vertical transmission to the richness, diversity, and species composition of the tick microbiome. We sampled 89 adult and nymphal Ixodes scapularis (N …

Characterizing The Requirements For The Matricellular Protein, Dccn, In Nervous System Function, Elizabeth L. Catudio Garrett

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The brain is organized as a complex network of specialized neurons that communicate via a combination of electrical and chemical signals. Our brains function to generate movement, control organ function, or direct complex behaviors; all of which requires the ability to regulate the flow of communication between circuits and networks. Work in this thesis addresses two areas of neuron communication: first, how does the release of more than one neurotransmitter from a single neuron impact behavior, and second, are matricellular proteins (MCPs) key contributors to synaptic transmission and neuron function? The conserved CCN family of MCPs have a …

Complex Ciliary Flows Around Stentor Polymorphus In Solutions Of 2% Buttermilk And Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Eliana B. Smithstein

Scripps Senior Theses

Stentor are large, unicellular ciliates of the Heterotricha order. They live in both freshwater and marine habitats and are mostly found in ponds. I studied Stentor polymorphus, which is a species of Stentor only recently discovered to be lab culturable. They range from 0.5-1.5mm in length and are unusual because they live with endosymbiotic algae and are much more likely than other, more widely studied, species of Stentor to form aggregates while they are eating. There are three main components to this thesis: First, I established protocols for keeping a viable S. polymorphus culture, since no protocols had been …

Antibacterial, Antifungal, Antioxidant Activity And Polyphenol Content Of Aerial Parts And Bulbs Of Allium Schugnanicum., Saidbeg Satorov, F. Mirzoeva, Sh. Kurbonbekova, Sh. Satorov, M. Vakhidova, Vyacheslav Dushenkov

Publications and Research

Objective: То study of antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activity, and content of polyphenols in the bulb and aerial parts of an endemic species of onion A. schugnanicum. Methods: An ethanol-based extract was prepared from fresh plants. Total polyphenolic content (Folin) and ABTS antioxidant capacity assays were used to characterized extracts. Extracts obtained from bulbs, peduncle, and seeds demonstrated antibacterial activity against the reference Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 4929), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 4930) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 4927) strains, as well as against the hospital strains of the same types of bacteria, i.e. strains isolated from inpatient surgical patients. Results: The study …

High-Throughput Two-Stage Dereplication Of Cave Bacteria To Discover Novel Antibiotic Compounds, Alexander Archey

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Since their discovery over a century ago, antibiotics have been a staple of combating infectious diseases. However, bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics through a variety of mechanisms. Efforts to identify new antibiotics often fail by discovering already-known antibiotics, or failing to synthesize new antibiotics that are safe for clinical use. The aim of this research was to dereplicate bacteria- to screen for antibiotic production in- normally isolated in cave ecosystems. Using two new technologies, the Antibiotic Resistance Platform (ARP) and a data acquisition and bioinformatics technique (IDBac), my dereplicating method allowed high throughput of bacterial screening for antibiotics. In this …

Characterization Of The Anti-Viral Activity Of Schlafen13, Jordan Winfield

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Schlafen13 (Slfn13) is an enzyme that belongs to the Schlafen family whose expression and function is not very well characterized. The N-terminal has a pseudo dimer structure that contains its catalytic site. There is no characterization functionally or structurally of the C-terminal of Slfn13 other than the prediction of a region with helicase activity. The objective of my Thesis was to increase our understanding of the Slfn family of proteins. Currently, Slfn13 is reported to play a role in the differentiation of monocytes and to function as an endoribonuclease that cleaves tRNA and rRNA molecules in a site-dependent sequence-independent manner. …

Extracting Secondary Metabolites From Bacterial Endophytes To Suppress Or Promote Sweet Sorghum And Weeds, Mohammad R. Alsabri

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Endophytic bacteria are ubiquitous in agricultural settings and have the potential to drastically affect plant growth both positively and negatively. These complex relationships play a key role in plant nutrition and are therefore of great interest to the agricultural community and beyond. With my dissertation work, I have had the opportunity to examine the relationship between endophytic bacteria and plants in various ways. The first part of my dissertation investigated how the microbial diversity found in soil affects the below- and above-ground traits of Sorghum bicolor. In the second section, I focused on a particular strain of bacteria that …

The Biology Of The Influenza D Virus, Jieshi Yu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Influenza D virus (IDV) was first identified in 2011 from clinically ill pigs in America. In nearly a decade since its discovery, the virus has been detected in multiple animal species in a vast region of the globe and is considered an important cause of concern to animal and human health. IDV utilizes cattle as the primary reservoir. The viral infection can cause mild respiratory disease in cattle and has been indicated as a causative agent of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) complex that is the most common and costly disease affecting the cattle industry. Moreover, outbreaks of IDV in swine …

Investigation Of Influenza B Virus Replication Potential In Swine Primary Respiratory Epithelial Cells And Phylodynamic Analysis Of Equine Influenza A H3n8 Viruses, Sunayana Shyam Jandhyala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Influenza viruses are respiratory pathogens that cause significant mortality worldwide. The subtype of influenza A virus currently affecting worldwide equine populations is H3N8, leading to epidemics and transboundary pandemics. The individual gene segments of an isolate named A/equine/Montana/9564-1/2015 were phylogenetically characterized. BLASTn search revealed that the polymerase basic protein 1 (PB1), polymerase acidic (PA), hemagglutinin (HA), nucleoprotein (NP), and matrix (M) segments of this H3N8 isolate shared the highest percentage identity to A/equine/Tennessee/29A/2014 (H3N8) and the polymerase basic protein 2 (PB2), neuraminidase (NA), and non-structural protein (NS) segments to A/equine/Malaysia/M201/2015 (H3N8). Maximum likelihood phylogenetic trees constructed using H3N8 viral genomes …

Determination Of Iron-Reducing Bacterial Activities In Lake Sediments., Alexandra Kahn

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Algal blooms are growing rampantly in lacustrine systems due to an increase of phosphorus, a nutrient for algae. Phosphorus is being released into the environment causing overpopulation and eutrophication which damages the ecosystem. The availability of phosphorus is affected by the solubility of iron which is regulated through iron reducing and iron oxidizing bacteria. Phosphorus adheres to insoluble Fe(III), which prohibits algae from utilizing it, while phosphorus does not attach to soluble Fe(II) and therefore it remains available to algae. The purpose of this study was to determine how bacteria influence iron solubility and what are the ideal environmental conditions …

Development Of A Synthesis Method For O2-Releasing Compound For Microbiological Experiments, Danae Greco

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Many celestial bodies within our solar system may have habitable environments due to the presence of liquid water. Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, may be habitable because of its liquid ocean and other potentially biologically favorable conditions. The ocean on Europa is hypothesized to contain large amounts of oxidants and low pH due to the radiolytically processed icy ocean shell. This suspected environment on Europa is similar to the composition of acid mine drainage on Earth, which can house microbial communities in environments of extreme acidity. Similar chemical reactions in Europa’s ocean may occur to produce the appropriate reduction-oxidation gradients …

The Effects Of Staining Cyanobacteria With Sytoxgreen After Lysis By Freeze-Thaw And Lysis By Ethanol, Samantha Galambos

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this project is to find the effects of staining toxic cyanobacteria with SYTOXGreen after lysis by freeze-thaw and lysis by ethanol. This project will focus on two strains of toxic cyanobacteria known as Aphanizomenon - A. flos-aquae and Planktothrix - P. agardhii. The live and dead cells are observed under blue and red fluorescent light to show the effectiveness of each lysis. It is important that this topic is researched because it is significantly affecting our waterways and sometimes drinking water. We often see that you cannot swim in Lake Erie due to algae, more specifically, these …

Biological And Computational Studies Of The Structure And Function Of Pul103, A Human Cytomegalovirus Tegument Protein, Ashley N. Anderson

Wayne State University Dissertations

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is an enveloped, single segment, double-stranded DNA virus. HCMV infection causes disease in immunocompromised (HIV patients, transplant recipients) and immunodeficient (fetuses, neonates) populations. Current treatments are effective but are either limited in use or can lead to organ damage and/or antiviral resistance, and no vaccines are available. Additional antiviral targets are needed. HCMV pUL103 is a potential antiviral target. pUL103 is a conserved herpesvirus protein present in the tegument, layer of proteins and RNA between the envelope and capsid of HCMV virions. pUL103 helps reorganize cellular secretory machinery (Golgi, endosomes) to form the cytoplasmic virion assembly compartment …

Non-Invasive Method For Leptin Supplementation In Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Regan Mcnamara

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

I tested the hypothesis that recombinant leptin protein can be introduced to zebrafish in vivo through non-invasive soaking in a solution containing the protein. One way to study various molecules’ effects in vivo is through intraperitoneal or intracerebroventricular injections during the embryonic or larval stage, which is invasive, difficult to administer, and can have a high mortality rate. 48 hours post fertilization (hpf) zebrafish were soaked in a His-tagged recombinant leptin protein solution at 10 nM and 100 nM concentrations (produced by Genscript). After soaking, zebrafish larvae were washed extensively to remove all recombinant protein on their exterior before homogenization. …

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 …

Pneumovirus Infections: Understanding Rsv And Hmpv Entry, Replication, And Spread, Jonathan T. Kinder

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Pneumoviruses including human metapneumovirus (HMPV) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are significant causes of respiratory tract infections globally. Children, elderly, and immunocompromised patients are at the greatest risk for developing severe infections, which can have devastating outcomes. Although these viruses are ubiquitous with significant impacts on human health, there are no antivirals or vaccines available. The only FDA approved therapy is a monoclonal antibody for RSV, given prophylactically during the infectious season, and this treatment is only available for high risk infants. The work presented in this thesis aims to increase our understanding of how these viruses enter, replicate, and …

Use Of Pefloxacin As A Surrogate Marker To Detect Ciprofloxacin Susceptibility In Salmonella Enterica Serotypes Typhi And Paratyphi A, Safia Moin, Mohammad Zeeshan, Sidra Laiq, Ahmed Raheem, Afia Zafar

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objective: To determine the use of pefloxacin as a surrogate marker to detect fluoroquinolone (ciprofloxacin) susceptibility against Salmonella enterica serotypes Typhi and Paratyphi A.
Methods: The prospective, descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from September 2016 to March 2018, and comprised Salmonella Typhi and Paratyphi A isolates of blood cultures. Disk susceptibility tests and broth microdilution to test minimum inhibitory concentration were performed as per standard guidelines. Data was analysed using SPSS 21.
Results: Of the 138 isolates, 91(66%) were intermediate resistant to ciprofloxacin but were resistant to pefloxacin, 42(30%) were resistant to both …

Mucosa-Associated Microbiota In Barrett’S Esophagus, Dysplasia, And Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Differ Similarly Compared With Healthy Controls, Shajan Peter, Amanda Pendergraft,, William Vanderpol, Mel Wilcox, Kondal R. Kyanam Kabir Baig, Casey Morrow, Jacques Izard, Peter J. Mannon

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Alterations in the composition of the human gut microbiome and its metabolites have been linked to gut epithelial neoplasia. We hypothesized that differences in mucosa-adherent Barrett’s microbiota could link to risk factors, providing risk of progression to neoplasia.

Methods: Paired biopsies from both diseased and nonaffected esophagus (as well as gastric cardia and gastric juice for comparison) from patients with intestinal metaplasia (n = 10), low grade dysplasia (n = 10), high grade dysplasia (n = 10), esophageal adenocarcinoma (n = 12), and controls (n = 10) were processed for mucosa-associated bacteria …

Hiv-1 Subtypes And Drug Resistance Mutations Among Female Sex Workers Varied In Different Cities And Regions Of The Democratic Republic Of Congo, Eun Hee Kwon, Godefroid M. A. Musema, Jessica Boelter, Sydney Townsend, Desire Tshala-Katumbay, Patrick K. Kayembe, John T. West, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Background Complex mosaic structures of HIV-1 were found in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Currently, there is limited information on the circulating HIV-1 strains, the distribution of these strains and antiretroviral (ART) resistant viruses in different regions of the country, and the HIV-1 strains harbored by the high-risk groups like female sex workers (FSW) reported to be the source of recombinant and ART resistant viruses.

Methods Dried Blood Spots (DBS), collected from 325 infected FSWs in ten cities from 2012 DRC HIV/STI Integrated Biological and Behavioral Surveillance Survey, were tested for HIV-1 genotypes and antiretroviral resistance mutations. Regional segregation …

How The Cervical Microbiota Contributes To Cervical Cancer Risk In Sub-Saharan Africa, Cameron Klein, Crispin Kahesa, Julius Mwalselage, John T. West, Charles Wood, Peter C. Angeletti

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Despite ongoing efforts, sub-Saharan Africa faces a higher cervical cancer burden than anywhere else in the world. Besides HPV infection, definitive factors of cervical cancer are still unclear. Particular states of the cervicovaginal microbiota and viral infections are associated with increased cervical cancer risk. Notably, HIV infection, which is prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, greatly increases risk of cervicovaginal dysbiosis and cervical cancer. To better understand and address cervical cancer in sub-Saharan Africa, a better knowledge of the regional cervicovaginal microbiome is required This review establishes current knowledge of HPV, HIV, cervicovaginal infections, and the cervicovaginal microbiota in sub-Saharan Africa. Because …

The Kaposi’S Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus (Kshv) Gh/Gl Complex Is The Predominant Neutralizing Antigenic Determinant In Kshv-Infected Individuals, Yasaman Mortazavi, Salum J. Lidenge, Tara Tran, John T. West, Charles Wood, For Yue Tso

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the etiological agent of Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS), one of the most prevalent cancers of people living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. The seroprevalence for KSHV is high in the region, and no prophylactic vaccine against the virus is available. In this study, we characterized the antigenic targets of KSHV-specific neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) in asymptomatic KSHV-infected individuals and KS patients with high nAbs titers. We quantified the extent to which various KSHV envelope glycoproteins (gB, ORF28, ORF68, gH, gL, gM, gN and gpK8.1) adsorbed/removed KSHV-specific nAbs from the plasma of infected individuals. Our study revealed that …

Mycoplasma Co-Infection Is Associated With Cervical Cancer Risk, Cameron Klein, Kandali Samwel, Crispin Kahesa, Julius Mwaiselage, John T. West, Charles Wood, Peter C. Angeletti

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Tanzania faces one of the highest cervical cancer burdens in the world. Recent work has suggested that the bacterial family Mycoplasmataceae is associated with higher levels of human papillomavirus (HPV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and pre-cancerous cervical lesions. Mycoplasmataceae infection in Tanzania is not well understood, especially when considering the differences between sexually transmitted species of Mycoplasmataceae. To establish the prevalence of common Mycoplasmataceae cervical infections and evaluate their relationship with risk factors for cervical cancer, 1160 Tanzanian women responded to an epidemiological questionnaire and were tested for HIV, HPV, cervical lesions, Mycoplasma genitalium, Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma spp., and Lactobacillus …

Epstein Barr Virus-Immortalizedｂlymphocytes Exacerbate Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis In Xenograft Mice, Pascal Polepole, Alison Bartenslager, Yutong Liu, Thomas M. Petro, Samodha C. Fernando, Luwen Zhang

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common autoimmune disorder affecting the central nervous system. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a causative agent for infectious mononucleosis (IM) that is associated with MS pathogenesis. However, the exact mechanism by which EBV, specifically in IM, increases the risk for MS remains unknown. EBV immortalizes primary B lymphocytes in vitro and causes excessive B lymphocyte proliferation in IM in vivo. In asymptomatic carriers, EBV-infected B lymphocytes still proliferate to certain degrees, the process of which is tightly controlled by the host immune systems. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mimics key features of MS in humans and …

A Decade In Review: A Systematic Review Of Universal Influenza Vaccines In Clinical Trials During The 2010 Decade, Brigette N. Corder, Brianna L. Bullard, Gregory Poland, Eric A. Weaver

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

On average, there are 3–5 million severe cases of influenza virus infections globally each year. Seasonal influenza vaccines provide limited protection against divergent influenza strains. Therefore, the development of a universal influenza vaccine is a top priority for the NIH. Here, we report a comprehensive summary of all universal influenza vaccines that were tested in clinical trials during the 2010–2019 decade. Of the 1597 studies found, 69 eligible clinical trials, which investigated 27 vaccines, were included in this review. Information from each trial was compiled for vaccine target, vaccine platform, adjuvant inclusion, clinical trial phase, and results. As we look …

Species D Adenoviruses As Oncolytic Viral Vectors, Brianna L. Bullard, Brigette N. Corder, Eric A. Weaver

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Oncolytic adenoviruses (Ad) have shown promising results in the therapeutic treatment of cancer. Ad type 5 (Ad5) is the most extensively utilized Ad type. However, several limitations exist to using Ad5 as an oncolytic virus, including high levels of anti-Ad5 neutralizing antibodies in the population, binding of the Ad5 hexon to blood coagulation factor X leading to liver sequestration and toxicity, and reduced expression of the primary receptor CAR on many tumors. Here, we use in vitro methods to explore the oncolytic potential of four alternative Ad types (Ad26, 28, 45, and 48) belonging to the species D Ad subgroup …

Recommendations For Measuring Hiv Reservoir Size In Cure- Directed Clinical Trials., Luis J. Montaner, Qingsheng Li

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Therapeutic strategies are being clinically tested either to eradicate the latent HIV reservoir or to achieve virologic control in the absence of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Attaining this goal will require a consensus on how best to measure the levels of persistently-infected cells with the potential to cause viral rebound upon ART cessation to assess the results of cure-directed strategies in vivo. Current measurements assess different aspects of the HIV provirus and its functionality, and produce divergent results. Here, we provide the collective insight and position from the BEAT-HIV Martin Delaney Collaboratory on which viral measurements to prioritize in HIV cure-directed …