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Full-Text Articles in Pathogenic Microbiology
Evolution Of Bordetella Pertussis Genome May Play A Role In The Increased Rate Of Whooping Cough Cases In The United States, Kevin Loftus
Evolution Of Bordetella Pertussis Genome May Play A Role In The Increased Rate Of Whooping Cough Cases In The United States, Kevin Loftus
Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019
Bordetella pertussis is the bacterium responsible for pertussis, a disease commonly referred to as whooping cough. Recently, pertussis has made a resurgence in the U.S. despite high-vaccination coverage. Possible causes of the increased number of pertussis cases include genetic evolution of B. pertussis, increased awareness of the disease, better laboratory diagnostics, and the switch from a whole-cellular (wP) vaccine to an acellular vaccine (aP) in the 1990s. Fortunately, just as B. pertussis is evolving, so is the arsenal of technologies used to understand and combat this pathogenic bacterium. Whole genome sequencing is one technology that helps researchers better understand …
Transduction As The Method Of Horizontal Gene Transfer Of The Staphylococcal Chromosomal Cassette Mec (Sccmec), Amber B. Sauder
Transduction As The Method Of Horizontal Gene Transfer Of The Staphylococcal Chromosomal Cassette Mec (Sccmec), Amber B. Sauder
Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) gains resistance to β-lactam antibiotics through a mutated penicillin binding protein (PBP2a) encoded on the SCCmec element. In combination with the recombinase encoded by ccr, these two genes are used as markers of the mobile genetic element (SCCmec). Due to recent increases in community acquired MRSA infections, the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance gene transfer have gained attention. Transduction, a method of horizontal gene transfer mediated by bacteriophage, is believed to be responsible for the movement of the SCCmec element. Recent studies have shown the transduction of the SCCmec element in clinical isolates; however, this study is …