Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology Commons^™

Inaction On Lead Despite The Relevant Knowledge: Predictors, Covariates, And Outreach Implications, Alessandra Rossi, Bernabas Wolde, Pankaj Lal, Melissa Harclerode

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Testing residential soil and paint for lead provides actionable information. By showing where and how much lead exists on the residence, it allows one to quantify risk and determine the best ways to reduce exposure along with the corresponding health and financial costs. For these reasons, several federal and state programs offer outreach to audiences on the benefits of testing residential soil and paint for lead. Not all individuals who know about lead’s adverse health effects, however, test their residence for lead, potentially limiting the actionable information that could have helped to reduce their exposure. Such individuals represent a challenge …

Impact Of Endangered Animal Protection Rights, Policies, And Practices On Zoonotic Disease Spread, Daniella Fedak-Lengel

Honors Projects

Building on field research in Costa Rica and Belize, this honors project analyzes environmental and endangered animal protection policies, rights, and practices in Central America and the Caribbean, and assesses the impact of veterinary science and biological research and practice, particularly conservation biology, on animal welfare concerns. Informed by the recent surge in awareness regarding zoonoses and zoonotic disease transmission, prevention and control, resulting from the current global pandemic of SARS-CoV-2, the project assesses the need for new and innovative types of collaboration, particularly involving conservation biologists, environmental scientists, public health experts, law and policy makers, and global trade and …

Climate Warming’S Alteration Of Host-Parasite Dynamics, Ting-Hsuan Wu

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

Parasites and pathogens have significant roles in host population control, and thus host-parasite interactions affect biodiversity. The important question reviewed in this paper is how changes in temperature due to climate change affect host-parasite interactions. There is mounting evidence that elevated temperatures have both beneficial and detrimental effects on parasites and independently on hosts. These independent changes result in altered host-parasite dynamics through various mechanisms. If elevated temperatures enhance parasite survival, risk of disease transmission among hosts is enhanced as well. This enhancement is dependent on temperature-induced shifts in the host lifecycle, as asynchrony in host and parasite development can …

Investigation Of Sulfur Cycling In Marine Sponge Cinachyrella Spp. From A South Florida Reef, Shelby K. Cain

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Symbionts within marine sponges are actively participating in the biogeochemical cycles. Among them, the role of symbiont microbes in the sulfur cycle remains a mystery. This study measured the abundance of microbes within the genus Cinachyrella before and after exposure to hydrogen sulfide. A four-part study was conducted: a) five-hour drop experiments, b) vertical distribution experiments, c) five-hour uptake experiments, and d) long-term exposure experiments. The five-hour drop experiment utilized a microsensor to measure sulfide levels, which was lowered 1.0 mm every thirty minutes for a total of 5 hours. Three trials were performed, each with one sponge and a …

Incidence Of Antibiotic Resistance And Plasmid Content In Freshwater Beach Sand And Water And Clinical Urinary Tract Infection Escherichia Coli Isolates, Robert F. White

Biology Theses

Antibiotic-resistant (AR) bacteria have been found in environmental ecosystems including beach sand and water, and pose a serious threat to the mitigation of human and animal disease. The presence of antibiotic residues in the environment, fueled by wastewater effluent and agricultural runoff, may produce selective pressure on introduced microbes such as Escherichia coli, leading to the production of AR populations. This study characterized and compared the antibiotic resistance patterns and plasmid content of E. coli isolated from a freshwater beach and clinical urinary tract infection (UTI) samples. A higher level of antibiotic resistance was expected in clinical (UTI) Escherichia coli …

Molecular Detection Of Host-Specific Fecal Bacteria In Three Major Watersheds Of Piedmont Georgia, Muhammad Amar

Biology Theses

Abstract

Fecal pollution is a major concern in creeks and rivers. The aim of this study was to enumerate fecal coliform bacteria and identify the source of contamination using Microbial Source Tracking at three different creeks (Mountain Oak, Long Cane, and Ulcohatchee) in the Piedmont region of Georgia. Data collected in this research will be used to formulate watershed rehabilitation plans to decrease the transfer of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) into these creeks. Samples were collected at several sites along the creeks (4 sites at Mountain Oak, 10 sites at Long Cane, and 5 sites at Ulcohatchee). The site locations …

Optimization Of In-Vessel Food Waste Composting: Enzyme Activity And Microbial Dynamics, Ayawovi Selom Ametepe

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A series of greenhouse-based, rotary-drum bioreactor experiments was designed to study microbial dynamics and enzyme activity during optimization of food waste composting. This work aims to optimize food waste composting by defining the best food waste-to-bulking agent proportion controlling conditions and by evaluating the food waste composting process when inoculated by a bacterial inoculant product compared to uninoculated compost. Three experiments were run in total. The two first experiments were conducted for 48 days with sampling at each step of composting, while the third experiment last 50 days and included one extra sampling date. In the first experiment, 50:50, 65:35 …

Effects Of Commercial Feed Additives On Growth Performance And Gut Microbiota Of Nursery Pigs, Xiaoyuan Wei

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To secure animal welfare and maximum production, feed additives are often added to nursery pig diets to increase nutrition digestibility, enhance intestinal health, and prevent or mitigate disease, with the ultimate goal of improving growth performance. This thesis performed a longitudinal analysis using next-generation sequencing to investigate the dynamic changes of gut microbiota in weaned pigs fed commercial feed additives. Chapter II was used to evaluate the effects of organic acid mixture on growth performance and gut microbiota of weaning pigs. This study demonstrated that the inclusion of 0.035% (SBA0.035) or 0.070% (SBA0.070) sodium butyrate in a diet containing 0.5% …

Spatio-Temporal Dynamics Of Fungal Communities And Their Effects On Plants, Kel Cook

Biology ETDs

Fungi perform several critical functions in the environment. Spatiotemporal distributions of fungal communities will mediate when and where these functions happen and how they vary across the landscape. I first explored tropical tree canopy fungal community variation at small spatial scales and documented near total turnover of fungi across sub-meter distances and among adjacent substrates. The second chapter analyzed fungal turnover over the course of three years, where community stability was driven primarily by abundant fungi. In the third chapter, I tested effects of the environment, including host plant and habitat, on canopy fungal communities and found only small effects, …

Evaluation Of Anti-Cancer Function In Natural Killer Cells Generated From Rat Hematopoietic Stem Cells, Alireza Pirahmadian

Student Works (2020-2029)

Natural killer cells (NK) cells are lymphocytes and they are the most important key constituent of mammalian immune system against cancer tumour cells. The genome of NK cells is categorically divided to inhibitory and activator genes that code ligands on the surface of NK cells. Indeed, these ligands are cancer tumour cells destroyer arms of the NK cells. On the other hand, hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are the origin of all blood cells, derives from BM and mature to immune cells. NK cells cannot defeat CTCs on their own. The main reason is their population (numbers are low), they cannot …

Aspergillus Niger Decreases Bioavailability Of Arsenic(V) Via Biotransformation Of Manganese Oxide Into Biogenic Oxalate Minerals, Bence Farkas, Marek Kolenčík, Miroslav Hain, Edmund Dobročka, Gabriela Kratošová, Marek Bujdoš, Huan Feng, Yang Deng, Qian Yu, Ramakanth Illa, B. Ratna Sunil, Hyunjung Kim, Peter Matúš, Martin Urík

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The aim of this work was to evaluate the transformation of manganese oxide (hausmannite) by microscopic filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger and the effects of the transformation on mobility and bioavailability of arsenic. Our results showed that the A. niger strain CBS 140837 greatly affected the stability of hausmannite and induced its transformation into biogenic crystals of manganese oxalates—falottaite and lindbergite. The transformation was enabled by fungal acidolysis of hausmannite and subsequent release of manganese ions into the culture medium. While almost 45% of manganese was bioextracted, the arsenic content in manganese precipitates increased throughout the 25-day static cultivation of fungus. …

A Genomic Catalog Of Earth’S Microbiomes, Brian Hedlund, More Than 200 Other International Authors

Life Sciences Faculty Research

The reconstruction of bacterial and archaeal genomes from shotgun metagenomes has enabled insights into the ecology and evolution of environmental and host-associated microbiomes. Here we applied this approach to >10,000 metagenomes collected from diverse habitats covering all of Earth’s continents and oceans, including metagenomes from human and animal hosts, engineered environments, and natural and agricultural soils, to capture extant microbial, metabolic and functional potential. This comprehensive catalog includes 52,515 metagenome-assembled genomes representing 12,556 novel candidate species-level operational taxonomic units spanning 135 phyla. The catalog expands the known phylogenetic diversity of bacteria and archaea by 44% and is broadly available for …

The Impact Of Sample Processing And Media Chemistry On The Culturable Diversity Of Bacteria Isolated From A Cave, Katey E. Bender, Katelyn Glover, Alexander Archey, Hazel A. Barton

International Journal of Speleology

Although molecular approaches can identify members of microbial communities in the environment, genomic information does not necessarily correlate with environmental phenotype. Understanding functional roles can be done by cultivating representative species, yet the culturablility of bacteria from caves remains low, at 0.02%, limiting our understanding of microbial community interactions and processes. We have investigated several factors influencing culturability of bacteria from a single sample location in Maxwelton Sink Cave, WV, USA. Extended incubation of inoculated plates showed a significant increase in colony counts from two to four weeks, indicating that extended incubations increase culturability. There were no significant differences in …

Graphene-Based Electrochemical Aptasensor For The Detection Of Salmonella Typhimurium, Shalini Muniandy

Student Works (2020-2029)

Recent foodborne outbreaks in multiple locations necessitate the continuous development of highly sensitive and specific biosensors that offer rapid and sensitive detection of foodborne pathogens. The emergence of electrochemical aptasensor which is a compact analytical device with a combination of an aptamer as the biorecognition element integrated on the transducer surface created a breakthrough in the detection of foodborne bacterial pathogens. Graphene has emerged as a promising nanomaterial for reliable detection of pathogenic bacteria due to its exceptional properties such as high electrical conductivity, large surface to volume ratio, high mechanical strength and its unique interactions with DNA bases of …

The Effects Of Radical Containing Combustion Derived Particulate Matter In Adult Mouse Respiratory System, Jeffrey Harding

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Epidemiological data associates high levels of combustion-derived particulate matter (PM) with deleterious respiratory outcomes, but the mechanism underlying those outcomes remains elusive. It has been acknowledged by the World Health Organization that PM exposure contributes to more than 4.2 million all-cause mortalities worldwide each year. Current literature demonstrates that PM exacerbates respiratory diseases, impairs lung function, results in chronic respiratory illnesses, and is associated with increased mortality. The proposed mechanisms revolve around oxidative stress and inflammation promoting pulmonary physiological remodeling. Our data demonstrate that environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) stabilized on the surface of PM are capable of inducing oxidative …

Isolation, Enumeration And Antibiotic Profiling Of Vibrio Vulnificus And V. Parahaemolyticus From Coastal Virginia, Stanley E. Peyton Jr.

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Vibrio vulnificus and V. parahaemolyticus are gram-negative, halophilic bacteria that reside in estuarine waters and are associated with infections in humans. These bacteria can cause gastroenteritis through their presence in raw fish and shellfish consumed by humans. V. vulnificus can also produce wound infections leading to severe septicemia, and in some cases, death if not treated promptly. With increasing incidence of infections due to these two organisms, research efforts have focused on potential reservoirs and environmental conditions that can increase human exposure to, and infection, with these species of bacteria. This study was conducted in order to examine the role …

Molecular Characterisation Of Hsp70 Gene Expression, Histopathology And Immune System Of Snakehead Fish, Channa Striata, Under Temperature And Bacterial Stress, Eid Elhussein Ihlam Ibrahim

Student Works (2020-2029)

Snakeheads are air-breathing freshwater fishes containing two genera, Channa (Asia) and Parachanna (Africa). The Asian genus is dominated by Channa striata which is found in southern and Southeastern parts of the continent. In this research, environmental and bacteria stressor to Channa striata were investigated. HSP70 gene was studied as an environmental stress gene (ChHSP70). Results showed a cDNA sequence of the gene to be (~918bp). It was also shown the gene is highly similar to that of other fish species. Constructing a phylogenetic tree of the gene across vertebrate species revealed six main clusters; same class remained conserved by showing …

Microbiome Shifts Associated With The Introduction Of Wild Atlantic Horseshoe Crabs (Limulus Polyphemus) Into A Touch-Tank Exhibit, Ariel D. Friel, Sean A. Neiswenter, Cale O. Seymour, Lauren Rose Bali, Ginger Mcnamara, Fabian Leija, Jack Jewell, Brian P. Hedlund

Life Sciences Faculty Research

The Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) is a common marine aquarium species and model organism for research. There is potential monetary and conservation value in developing a stable captive population of horseshoe crabs, however, one major impediment to achieving captivity is a lack of knowledge regarding captive diseases. We utilized 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to track changes in the microbiomes of four body locations in three wild-caught (tracked over 14 months in captivity) and three tank-acclimated (>2 years in captivity) adult L. polyphemus in a touch tank at Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, NV. …

Plankton Dynamics In An Urban, Subtropical Lake Prior To Lake Restoration, Jennifer C. Pulsifer

LSU Master's Theses

This research assessed plankton dynamics in two urban, subtropical lakes (University Lake and City Park Lake) shortly before a proposed and approved lake restoration project. Plankton dynamics were determined in University Lake by the dilution method to attempt to quantify growth rates of phytoplankton and grazing rates of zooplankton. Landry and Hassett’s (1982) dilution method has been widely used in marine systems to estimate rates of growth and grazing. In many marine systems, nutrients must be added to prevent nutrient limitation. However, it is assumed, due to the hypereutrophic conditions, that nutrients would not be a limitation in University Lake. …

Using Soil Geospatial Properties And Environments To Explore Microbial Diversity, Sharon Faye Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soil microorganisms help maintain nutrient cycling, control carbon sequestration, impact plant productivity, and influence several soil chemical and physical properties; yet, the processes that control the microbial composition of soil and how environmental changes may affect the composition and activity of these organisms at different scales remains a difficult and intriguing puzzle for soil scientists, ecologists, and modelers. Wetlands are endangered and important ecosystems that provide several services, which are directly linked to soil function. However, few wetland assessments consider the soil environment and microbial ecology. Linking soil microbial community composition and distribution patterns to soil physio-chemical properties would provide …

Optimisation Of Biomass And Lipid Production Of A Tropical Thraustochytrid Aurantiochytrium Sp. Umacc-T023 In Submerged-Liquid Fermentation For Large-Scale Biodiesel Production, Sohedein Mohamad Nor Azzimi

Student Works (2020-2029)

A tropical thraustochytrid, Aurantiochytrium sp. UMACC-T023, was optimised for high biomass and lipid production in submerged-liquid fermentation (SLF). Biomass and lipid production were optimised based on glucose, polypeptone, and yeast extract concentration using response surface methodology (RSM). In RSM, the applied central composite design (CCD) showed that the optimisation model was significant for all variables studied. Yeast extract and polypeptone were associated with significant effects in UMACC-T023 biomass production with p < 0.05. The model was validated by employing the optimised media composition in shake flasks and in 1.4-L stirred-tank bioreactors. The optimised media composition for both biomass and lipid production was 10 g L-1 glucose, 15.08 g L-1 polypeptone, and 13.56 g L-1 yeast extract. Biomass production in the bioreactor increased 2.12-fold compared with the shake flask culture utilising the same optimised media composition. This result demonstrated that the optimized media composition can be utilised for large-scale lipid production of UMACC-T023 for potential biodiesel feedstock as it also fulfilled the international standards for biodiesel.

Meeting Report Of The Third Annual Tri-Service Microbiome Consortium Symposium, J Philip Karl, Robyn A. Barbato, Laurel A. Doherty, Aarti Gautam, Sarah M. Glaven, Robert J. Kokoska, Dagmar Leary, Rebecca Mickol, Matthew A. Perisin, Andrew J. Hoisington, Edward J. Van Opstal, Vanessa Varaljay, Nancy Kelley-Loughnane, Camilla A. Mauzy, Michael S. Goodson, Jason W. Soares

Faculty Publications

The Tri-Service Microbiome Consortium (TSMC) was founded to enhance collaboration, coordination, and communication of microbiome research among U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) organizations and to facilitate resource, material and information sharing among consortium members. The 2019 annual symposium was held 22–24 October 2019 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH. Presentations and discussions centered on microbiome-related topics within five broad thematic areas: 1) human microbiomes; 2) transitioning products into Warfighter solutions; 3) environmental microbiomes; 4) engineering microbiomes; and 5) microbiome simulation and characterization. Collectively, the symposium provided an update on the scope of current DoD microbiome research efforts, highlighted …

Metabolic Network Analysis Of Filamentous Cyanobacteria, Daniel Alexis Norena-Caro

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Cyanobacteria were the first organisms to use oxygenic photosynthesis, converting CO₂ into useful organic chemicals. However, the chemical industry has historically relied on fossil raw materials to produce organic precursors, which has contributed to global warming. Thus, cyanobacteria have emerged as sustainable stakeholders for biotechnological production. The filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. UTEX 2576 can metabolize multiple sources of Nitrogen and was studied as a platform for biotechnological production of high-value chemicals (i.e., pigments, antioxidants, vitamins and secondary metabolites). From a Chemical engineering perspective, the biomass generation in this organism was thoroughly studied by interpreting the cell as a microbial …

Analysis Of Biofilm Remediation Capacity For Octenyl Succinic Anhydride (Osa), A Bioactive Food Starch Modifier Compound, Matthew R. Borglin

Master's Theses

Matthew R. Borglin

This thesis demonstrates efficacy of Octenyl Succinic Anhydride (OSA), as a biofilm sanitizer. Biofilms allow bacteria to adhere to solid surfaces with the use of excreted polymeric compounds. For example, surfaces found in food production or processing facilities such as the interior of a raw milk holding tank, are some of the most susceptible to biofilm contamination. When present, biofilms can cause a variety of negative effects, which include; reduction of product shelf life, corrosion, and outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. The close association of biofilms with the majority of foodborne illness cases led the US Environmental Protection …

Isolation Of Plastic-Degrading Fungi From Landfill And Determining The Selected Plastics Biodegradation Capability, Mohan Priya

Student Works (2020-2029)

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) are the most important polymers used predominantly in present world. Since synthetic polymers hardly undergo degradation and remain in the environment for a very long time, up to 1000 years, these drawbacks increase the percentage of solid wastes in landfill and threaten the environment. To date, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) landfill is the most favored disposal method especially among the developing countries. The aim of present study is to evaluate the potential of fungus isolated from landfilled plastics to degrade PET, LDPE and HDPE. Besides, effect of different …

Polyhydroxyalkanoates For Innovative Electrodes And Proton Exchange Membrane Modification In Microbial Fuel Cell, Abdul Azeez Olayiwola Sirajudeen

Student Works (2020-2029)

The increase in global energy demand due to increasing population and industrialization demands renewable and environmental-friendly alternatives. Energy from fossil fuel are non-renewable, depleting and detrimental from environmental perspectives. Alternative energy, green and renewable such as hydrogen fuel, biodiesel, bioethanol, microbial fuel cell and many more have been extensively investigated. One possible solution lies with non-combustion method such as microbial fuel cell. A microbial fuel cell is a sustainable and environmental-friendly device that combines electricity generation and wastewater treatment through metabolic activities of microorganisms. However, low power output from inadequate electron transfer to the anode electrode hampers its practical implementation. …

Abundance And Distribution Of Microplastics And Phthalic Acid Esters In Selected Mangrove Areas In Peninsular Malaysia, Anuar Norkhairah

Student Works (2020-2029)

Contamination of microplastics in mangrove has been receiving growing attention as experts reckon 30 billion tonnes of plastics will accumulate in 2050. The vast increase in plastic commodities will increase microplastics abundance in mangroves as mangroves are substantially sinks and traps for plastic debris. Due to persistent properties and high surface to volume ratio of microplastics, Phthalic Acid Esters (PAEs) can be taken up by microplastics, representing a grave threat to the ecosystems. This study investigated the abundance and distribution of microplastics and PAEs in selected mangrove areas in Peninsular Malaysia. The objectives of this study are to identify the …

Analysis And Exploration Of Novel Antibiotic-Producing Streptomyces Spp. In Spokane County, Washington, Kyle S. Kramer, Jenifer B. Walke Ph.D

2020 Symposium Posters

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a US citizen is infected by an antibiotic-resistant pathogen every 11 seconds, and every 15 minutes, a patient dies as a result of these infections. Due to the increasing incidence of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic microbes, the study and exploration of novel antibiotics from novel environments are imperative as infectious diseases are the second leading cause of death in the United States. The purpose of this research is to investigate and analyze antibiotic-producing soil microbes in Spokane County, WA, with hopes of discovering novel antibiotic-producing microbes, specifically Streptomyces species, and explore some of …

Mathematical Modeling Of Gliding Motility And Its Regulation In Myxococcus Xanthus, Yirui Chen

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

The Trichoplusia Ni Gut Microbiome And Its Derivation From The Phyllosphere Of Its Food Plants, Josemaria Garcia, Marisol Escanuela, Swapna Bhat, Evan Lampert

Georgia Journal of Science

Insects are the most abundant and diverse animals on planet Earth and rely on their diverse microbiomes to be so. The insect gut microbiome is vital in the growth and development of many insect species. Trichoplusia ni, the cabbage looper, is a generalist herbivore, but little is known about its microbiome. In this study, a metagenomic analysis of fecal samples was used to determine the effect of diet on the microbiome of T. ni larvae. Larvae were reared on six plant species, the microbiome was sampled from fecal material, and the phyllosphere was sampled from leaves the larvae ate. …