Pathogenic Microbiology Commons^™

Comparison Of The Humoral Immune Response Following Both Bacterial Challenge And Rnai Of Major Factors On Proliferation Of Bartonella Quintana In The Human Louse, Jake Zina

Masters Theses

Human body lice, Pediculus humanus humanus, and head lice, Pediculus humanus capitis, have been hematophagous ectoparasites of humans for thousands of years. Despite being ecotypes, only body lice are known to transmit bacterial diseases to humans, and it appears that lower humoral and cellular immune responses allow body lice to possess a higher vector competence. We previously observed that the transcription level of the defensin 1 gene was up-regulated only in head lice following oral challenge of Bartonella quintana, a causative agent of trench fever, and also that body lice excreted more viable B. quintana in their …

Screening For Binding Partners And Protein-Protein Interactions Of A Fungal Transcription Factor- Xdr1, Nishadi Punsara Gallala Gamage

Masters Theses

Clarireedia spp. (formerly Sclerotinia homoeocarpaF.T. Bennett) is the causal agent dollar spot, the most economically important turfgrass disease impacting golf courses in North America. The most effective strategy for dollar spot control is repeated application of multiple classes of fungicides. However, reliance on chemical application has led to resistance to four classes of fungicides as well as multidrug resistance (MDR). Fungi are known to detoxify xenobiotics, like fungicides, through transcriptional regulation of three detoxification phases: modification, conjugation and secretion. Little is known, however, of the protein-protein interactions that facilitate these pathways. Following next-generation RNA sequencing of Clarireedia spp., a …

Studies On The Interaction And Organization Of Bacterial Proteins On Membranes, Mariana Brena

Masters Theses

Bacteria have developed various means of secreting proteins that can enter the host cell membrane. In this work I focus on two systems: cholesterol-dependent cytolysins and Type III Secretion.

Cholesterol is a molecule that is critical for physiological processes and cell membrane function. Not only can improper regulation lead to disease, but also the role cholesterol plays in cell function indicates it is an important molecule to understand. In response to this need, probes have been developed that detect cholesterol molecules in membranes. However, it has been recently shown that there is a need for probes that only respond to …

Switchgrass Extractives Have Potential As A Value-Added Antimicrobial Against Plant Pathogens And Foodborne Pathogens, Alexander Ian Bruce

Masters Theses

Panicum virgatum (switchgrass), a perennial grass native to North America, is a leading biomass feedstock candidate for the manufacture of cellulosic ethanol. Switchgrass is considered a viable option for biofuel production due to its cheap production cost and ability to grow on marginal land. Biofuel derived from switchgrass has been shown to be very energy efficient, producing 540% more renewable energy versus nonrenewable energy expended. Switchgrass-derived biofuel is also estimated to have greenhouse gas emissions that are 94% lower than emissions from gasoline (Schmer et al 2008). Biofuels are created through biochemical processes that utilize various enzymes and microorganisms for …

Trypanosoma Brucei Mitochondrial Dna Polib Cell Cycle Localization And Effect On Polic When Polib Is Depleted, Sylvia L. Rivera

Masters Theses

Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as African sleeping sickness. T. brucei is unique in several ways that distinguish this organism from other eukaryotes. One of the unique features of T. brucei is the organism’s mitochondrial DNA, which is organized in a complex structure called kinetoplast DNA (kDNA). Since kDNA is unique to the kinetoplastids, kDNA may serve as a good drug target against T. brucei. Previews studies have shown that kDNA has 4 different family A mitochondrial DNA polymerases. Three of these mitochondrial DNA polymerases (POLIB, POLIC, and POLID) are essential …

Distribution Of Enterotoxigenic Clostridium Perfringens Spores In U.S. Retail Spices, Chi-An Lee

Masters Theses

246 samples of bulk and packaged spices from retail stores in the western, southeastern, southern, midwestern, and northeastern areas of the U.S. were examined for the presence of Clostridium -perfringens. Isolates were checked for the presence of the lecithinase gene (cpa) and enterotoxin genes (cpe) by PCR. Enterotoxin formation during sporulation was investigated using the Oxoid Toxin Detection Kit. Forty-three confirmed isolates (from 17% of total samples) were cpa-positive. Of those, 27 were cpe-positive. Together, levels of C. perfringens spores ranged from 3.6-2400/gm. The amount of enterotoxin in cell extracts ranged from …

Characterization Of The Reconstituted And Native Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Type Iii Secretion System Translocon, Kathryn R. Monopoli

Masters Theses

The Type III Secretion (T3S) system is a system utilized by many pathogenic bacteria to inject proteins into host cells during an infection. Effector proteins enter the host cell by passing through the proteinaceous T3S translocon, which forms a pore on the host cell membrane. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that utilizes the T3S system, and very little is known about how the P. aeruginosa translocon forms.

The proteins PopB and PopD are believed to assemble into the P. aeruginosa translocon. A pore-forming heterocomplex of PopB and PopD has been reconstituted in model membranes, however this heterocomplex has not …

Eneterotoxigenic Bacillus Cereus And Bacillus Thuringiensis Spores In U.S. Retail Spices, Upasana Hariram

Masters Theses

Bacillus cereus is a ubiquitous organism and a potential foodborne pathogen that can cause two types of gastrointestinal diseases: emesis and diarrhea. The emetic syndrome is caused by a heat and acid stable peptide toxin that is pre-formed in food, while the diarrheal syndrome is associated to two 3-protein, heat labile enterotoxin complexes that are formed in the intestine after ingestion of the organism. There are many reports on the isolation and characterization of Bacillus cereus from various foods, however there are no studies on the levels, toxigenicity and physical characteristics of B. cereus isolated from U.S. retail spices. …

Fatty Acid Synthase 1 In Candida Albicans Virulence And The In Vitro Effects Of Fluconazole, Tetracycline In Combinatorial Therapy, Marissa Mandy Rodrigues

Masters Theses

Candida albicans, the causative agent of superficial and invasive mycoses, is a significant fungal pathogen associated with high mortality rates and considerable health-related costs. The most effective class of antifungals used for the treatment of candidiasis includes polyenes, echinocandins and azoles. However with the emergence of resistant strains, new antifungals are warranted for the effective treatment of candidiasis. Genes involved in biosynthetic enzymatic pathways that regulate metabolic processes are important for the survival of pathogenic fungi and can thus be exploited for the development of better antifungals. Fatty acid synthase 1, which is involved in the de novo biosynthesis of …

Evaluation Of Chromosomally-Integrated Luxcdabe And Plasmid-Borne Gfp Markers For The Study Of Localization And Shedding Of Stec O91:H21 In Calves, Yingying Hong

Masters Theses

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) has been recognized as an important foodborne pathogen. Of this group, O91 is one of the common serogroups frequently isolated from patients and food in some countries, with O91:H21 being previously implicated in hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Cattle are principle reservoirs for STEC, and studies examining STEC shedding in cattle often include experimental inoculation of strains of interest using antibiotic resistance markers for identifiable recovery. However, indigenous fecal microbes exhibiting similar resistance patterns can confound such studies. Such was the case in a study by our group when attempting to characterize shedding patterns of O91:H21 …

Study Of Population Diversity Of Toxoplasma Gondii, Debashree Majumdar

Masters Theses

Toxoplasma gondii, the causal agent of toxoplasmosis, is an important water and food borne protozoan parasite. T. gondii was previously shown to have a distinct clonal population structure composed of Type I, II and III lineages in North America and Europe. But more recent studies demonstrated high diversity in South America. In the present project we have conducted an intensive study of the population diversity of T. gondii and surveyed the extent of genetic variation among natural T. gondii isolates on a global scale in order to better understand the population dynamics and pathogenesis of this parasite. To this …

A Biosystematic Study Of Three Plant Pathogenic Fungi, Richard James Langham

Masters Theses

Isolates of Chalara australis, Eucalypt Ceratocystis, and Ceratocystis virescens were grown on Potato Dextrose Agar, Malt Extract Agar, and Czapek Agar and examined as part of a biosystematic study on these fungi. Basic micromorphological and macromorphological data on the cultures were recorded and the taxa were found to be morphologically similar. Tissue isolates and single spore isolates were crossed within these taxa and an interspecific cross performed. Chalara australis was found to be either asexual or have only one mating type present in the cultures studied. Eucalypt Ceratocystis was found to have a mating system characteristic of bipolar …

Direct Immunofluorescence Detection Of Giardia Spp. In Selected Mammals In Central Illinois, Using Anti-Giardia Polyclonal And Monoclonal Antibodies, Jeanette Aba Ackon Brown

Masters Theses

Giardia species occur in many kinds of mammals, and some of these hosts have been postulated as potential reservoirs for human infections. A study was initiated in fall 1990 to determine the distribution and frequency of giardiasis in populations of selected wild animals in 12 counties in Illinois. Fecal samples from 64 white-tailed deer, 13 coyotes, 9 muskrats, 6 raccoons, and 5 badgers were examined for the presence of Giardia spp. and specifically for G. lamblia. Anti-Giardia lamblia cysts polyclonal (PAb) and monoclonal (MAb), FITC-labeled antibody solutions were used for the direct immunofluorescence detection of Giardia cysts in …

Analysis Of The Charleston, Illinois Water Supply For The Presence Of Organic Mutagens Utilizing The Ames Salmonella/Microsome Assay, Steven Lee Washburn

Masters Theses

Water samples from the Charleston, Illinois water supply and selected agricultural run-off areas were tested for the presence of organic mutagenic chemicals. The Ames Salmonella/microsome mutagenicity assay utilizing strains TA98 and TA100 was used to analyze concentrated water samples. A special set of samples was exposed to the S9 activation system coupled with the TA98 strain to simulate the mammalian metabolic system.

No mutagens were detected in any of the samples tested. Several positive and negative control systems were included in the testing system. Negative control systems were used to determine the average spontaneous reversion rates for each strain for …

Fecal Coliform Membrane Filtration Recovery Techniques, Pamela Rose Rinebold

Masters Theses

Researchers over the years have been trying to improve recovery techniques for fecal coliform bacteria. Improved techniques would provide better estimates of the number of fecal coliform bacteria as well as better estimates of fecal contamination with potential pathogenicity of food and water.

Stressed, but viable, fecal coliform bacteria if placed under the appropiate conditions, can recover, thus presenting the possibility of inadequate disinfection. Chlorine sanitization, as done in potable and wastewater treatment, is one such method of stressing bacteria.

Techniques of recovery were studied using presumably unstressed and chlorine stressed samples. Phase one of this study was the comparison …

A Study Of Soil Amoebae Infective To Mice, Pamela Mcdaniel

Masters Theses

On January 1, 1973, 10 soil samples were collected from areas in Coles County, Illinois, in an effort to isolate soil amoebae. All 10 soil samples were cultured on bacto-nutrient agar and colonies of amoebae genera isolated were Acanthamoeba and Hartmannella. Amoebabacteria cultures prepared from soil isolates were injected into each of 10 adult mice which were sacrificed at the end of the nine days and examined for evidence of infection and pathogenicity. Lesions were observed in two mice and amoebae cysts and bacterial colonies were present in nine mice. Amoeba-bacteria cultures were purified using streptomycin antibiotic discs and …

A Survey Of The Incidence Of Salmonellosis In Three Groups Of Wild Animals, James T. Heiberger

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.