Pathogenic Microbiology Commons^™

North Atlantic Vibrio Vulnificus Surveillance From Postharvest Oysters At A Us Shellfish Processing Facility, Kenneth Lavalley, Joseph Dealteris, Michael Rice, Marta Gomez-Chiarri

Marta Gomez-Chiarri

Postharvest surveillance for Vibrio vulnificus by a commercial processing facility was conducted from May 2001 to September 2003. Harvest areas included the Delaware Bay, Long Island Sound and Prince Edward Island. Occurrence followed a seasonal distribution. Low densities were observed in June, increased through August, and became rare by September. Given the ubiquitous nature of marine Vibrios, it was not surprising to find V. vulnificus everywhere, which was investigated. Observations confirmed the importance of strict time/temperature and product handling practices by shellfish harvesters, dealers and processors. Mishandling led to a potentially dangerous and uncharacteristically high V. vulnificus observation.

Herpes Simplex Virus Glycoprotein D/Host Cell Surface Interaction Stimulates Chlamydia Trachomatis Persistence Via A Novel Pathway., Jennifer Vanover

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

When presented with certain unfavorable environmental conditions, C. trachomatis reticulate bodies (RBs) enter into a viable, yet noncultivable state called persistence. Two hallmarks of persistent chlamydiae are swollen, aberrantly shaped RBs, as viewed by transmission electron microscopy and a decrease in infectious progeny. Several models of chlamydial persistence have been described, including interferon-γ (IFN-γ), IFN-α, IFN-β, and tumor necrosis factor-α-exposure and nutrient deprivation. Previously, we established an in vitro co-infection model of two of the most common sexually transmitted pathogens in the United States, C. trachomatis and Herpes Simplex Virus-2 (HSV). Data from this tissue culture model indicate that: i) …

Modulation Of The Nf-Κb Pathway By Bordetella Pertussis Filamentous Hemagglutinin, Tzvia Abramson, Hassya Kedem, David A. Relman

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Background
Filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) is a cell-associated and secreted adhesin produced by Bordetella pertussis with pro-apoptotic and pro-inflammatory activity in host cells. Given the importance of the NF-κB transcription factor family in these host cell responses, we examined the effect of FHA on NF-κB activation in macrophages and bronchial epithelial cells, both of which are relevant cell types during natural infection.

Methodology/Principal Findings
Exposure to FHA of primary human monocytes and transformed U-937 macrophages, but not BEAS-2B epithelial cells, resulted in early activation of the NF-κB pathway, as manifested by the degradation of cytosolic IκBα, by NF-κB DNA binding, and …

A New Species Of Genus Laboulbenia (Laboulbeniales) On Craspedophorus Formosanus (Coleoptera, Carabidae) From Taiwan, With A Note On Laboulbenia Asiatica, Katsuyuki Terada, Meng-Hao Hsu, Wen-Jer Wu

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Laboulbenia taiwaniana sp. nov. on Craspedophorus formosanus is described from Taiwan and illustrated with photographs. It is characterized by a long, asymmetrical perithecium with an oblique apex and a pale-colored lower wall, a slender, evenly tapered receptacle with cylindrical cell I and II and trapezoidal cell IV, well developed appendages with black septa concentrated in the basal portion of the appendage system, and especially by black septa on the distal end of cell g. Laboulbenia asiatica, which was described from an Asian carabid---"Casnonia sp."---in 1899 and was illustrated in 1908 by Thaxter, is reviewed and compared …

The Genus Prolixandromyces (Laboulbeniales) In The Old World Prolixandromyces (Laboulbeniales), Alex Weir

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Two new species of Prolixandromyces (Laboulbeniales) parasitic on Rhagovelia (Heteroptera: Veliidae) are described and illustrated: Prolixandromyces benjaminii from the Philippine Islands and P. lanceolatus from Africa (Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and South Africa) and Asia (Indonesia: Sulawesi, Sumba, Timor; Malaysia: Selangor; and Sri Lanka). In order to accommodate these species the circumscription of Prolixandromyces is emended. The new taxa are compared with the one known species from the Old World, P. triandrus from Spain, and with the five known New World taxa.

New Species Of Cucujomyces (Laboulbeniales) On Chilean Leiodidae, Walter Rossi, Alex Weir

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Four new species of Cucujomyces (Laboulbeniales) parasitic on Leiodidae (Coleoptera) from Chile are described and illustrated: Cucujomyces dasypelatis on Dasypelates nebulosus, C. gratiellae on Hydnodietus brunneus, C. neohydnobii on Neohydnobius argentinicus, and C. newtonii on Metahydnobius spp. The new taxa are compared with other known species of Cucujomyces. Morphological variation encountered in one of the new species, C. gratiellae, encompasses attributes of both Cucujomyces and Balazucia, necessitating Balazucia to be placed in synonymy under Cucujomyces. On the basis of this, two new combinations, Cucujomyces bilateralis and C. japonicus, are proposed.

Laboulbeniales On Semiaquatic Heteroptera. A New Species Of Triceromyces (Ascomycota, Laboulbeniales) On Microvelia (Heteroptera, Veliidae) From Spain, Sergio Santamaria

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

A new species of fungal genus Triceromyces (Laboulbeniales) is described: Triceromyces benjaminii. The description is based on several thalli found on the insect host Microvelia pygmaea (Heteroptera, Veliidae), collected in two localities from SE Spain. Characteristics of male and female thalli of this dioecious species are discussed and compared with other dioecious taxa. The characteristics of male thalli require some adjustment in generic limits. This is the first species of Triceromyces known to parasitize a species of Microvelia, a semiaquatic heteropteran genus. The new species is described and illustrated with line drawings and photographs. A table collates information …

Methods Used By Dr. R. K. Benjamin, And Other Mycologists, To Isolate Zygomycetes, Gerald L. Benny

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The methods that Dr. Richard K. Benjamin used to isolate Zygomycetes are discussed. These processes involved the following five steps: (1) collection, (2) plating, (3) isolation, (4) culture, and (5) maintenance. Additional methods, materials, and modifications used to isolate Zygomycetes are summarized. The author considers the flattening of the aerial hyphae onto the substrate of the faster- and higher-growing Mucorales for several consecutive days to be the critical step in isolating species of Coemansia, Piptocephalis, Syncephalis, and Dimargaritales. The methods used by other scholars to isolate, culture, and study many taxa in Zygomycetes also are discussed.

The Regulation Of The Icsp Promoter Of Shigella Flexneri By The Virulence Factor Virb, Maria Castellanos, Dustin Harrison, Helen Wing

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

Shigella flexneri is a pathogenic bacterium that causes severe dysentery in humans commonly known as shigellosis. Shigella encodes an outer membrane protease called IcsP. The regulation of icsP expression is under direct control of a transcriptional factor called VirB, which controls the expression of many virulence genes in Shigella. Previous work has shown through deletion analysis of the icsP promoter region that sequences as far as 1368 base pairs upstream of the transcription starting site are important for the regulation of the icsP gene by VirB. However, it is still unclear whether VirB activation requires sequences within the icsP promoter …

North Atlantic Vibrio Vulnificus Surveillance From Postharvest Oysters At A Us Shellfish Processing Facility, Kenneth Lavalley, Joseph Dealteris, Michael Rice, Marta Gomez-Chiarri

Michael A Rice

Postharvest surveillance for Vibrio vulnificus by a commercial processing facility was conducted from May 2001 to September 2003. Harvest areas included the Delaware Bay, Long Island Sound and Prince Edward Island. Occurrence followed a seasonal distribution. Low densities were observed in June, increased through August, and became rare by September. Given the ubiquitous nature of marine Vibrios, it was not surprising to find V. vulnificus everywhere, which was investigated. Observations confirmed the importance of strict time/temperature and product handling practices by shellfish harvesters, dealers and processors. Mishandling led to a potentially dangerous and uncharacteristically high V. vulnificus observation.

Candida Albicans Tup1 Is Involved In Farnesol-Mediated Inhibition Of Filamentous-Growth Induction, Bessie W. Kebaara, Melanie L. Langford, Dhammika H. M. L. P. Navarathna, Raluca Dumitru, Kenneth W. Nickerson, Audrey L. Atkin

Kenneth Nickerson Papers

Candida albicans is a dimorphic fungus that can interconvert between yeast and filamentous forms. Its ability to regulate morphogenesis is strongly correlated with virulence. Tup1, a transcriptional repressor, and the signaling molecule farnesol are both capable of negatively regulating the yeast to filamentous conversion. Based on this overlap in function, we tested the hypothesis that the cellular response to farnesol involves, in part, the activation of Tup1. Tup1 functions with the DNA binding proteins Nrg1 and Rfg1 as a transcription regulator to repress the expression of hypha-specific genes. The tup1/tup1 and nrg1/nrg1 mutants, but not the rfg1/rfg1 mutant, failed to …

Bacteriophages That Infect Bacillus Bacteria (Anthrax), Michael H. Walter

Patents (University of Northern Iowa)

The invention provides bacteriophages that infect Bacillus bacteria, including Bacillus anthracis, and compositions containing the bacteriophages. The invention also provides methods for using the bacteriophages of the invention to prevent and treat infection of an organism by Bacillus bacteria. Methods and materials to decontaminate a surface or an organism that is contaminated with Bacillus bacteria or Bacillus spores is also provided.

Antigen Trafficking Within Chlamydia Trachomatis-Infected Polarized Human Endometrial Epithelial Cells., David Kelley Giles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chlamydia trachomatis serovars D-K are the leading cause of bacterially-acquired sexually transmitted infections in the United States. As an obligate intracellular pathogen, C. trachomatis infects columnar epithelial cells of the genital mucosae and can cause deleterious sequelae such as pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy. Several chlamydial antigens reach the host cell cytosol prior to the natural release of chlamydiae at the end of the developmental cycle. While some of these extra-inclusion antigens traffic to the host cell surface, others remain intracellular where they are proposed to influence vital host cell functions and antigen trafficking and presentation. The research …

First Report Of Downy Mildew On Lepidium Sativum In India, Kunal Mandal

Kunal Mandal

Downy mildew caused by Hyaloperonospora parasitica on different members of Brassicaceae has been reported from different parts of the world. In India, the pathogen is recorded for the first time on Lepidium sativum. Proper management strategies need to be formulated against this disease as incidence is increasing.

Mupirocin Resistance In Staphylococci: An Investigation Of Current Status And Potential Alternative Therapies, Susan O'Shea

Theses

Mupirocin is a topical antibiotic used in hospital infection control practices to control transmission of staphylococci, in particular MRSA, which has become a major problem in Irish hospitals and has a significant impact on patient morbidity and mortality. Overreliance on mupirocin to eradicate MRSA carriage and to prevent infection has led to mupirocin resistance among staphylococcal species. Two distinct types of resistance have developed within strains: low'-level mupirocin resistance (LMR) and high-level mupirocin resistance (HMR).

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and types of mupirocin resistance in a large population of clinical staphylococcal isolates including Methicillin …

Epidemiology And Drug Resistant Profiles Of Candida Species, In Cork Hospitals., Emma Mccurtin

Theses

Candida causes superficial infections in healthy individuals; however in the immunocompromised host Candida can cause invasive, systemic infections and is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. This is not due to a more virulent phenotype but to a weakened immune system unable to fight this opportunistic pathogen. The immunocompromised population is ever increasing, due to medical advancements and more aggressive treatments, and hence is the need for epidemiological data of these potentially life threatening infections. The aim of this study was to provide an epidemiological snapshot, of Candida infections from the immunocompromised population in Cork hospitals. Surveillance programmes from …