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Articles 1 - 15 of 15
Full-Text Articles in Pathogenic Microbiology
Development Of A Proposed Selective Medium For The Isolation And Differentiation Of P. Sordellii, Dimyana Bottros
Development Of A Proposed Selective Medium For The Isolation And Differentiation Of P. Sordellii, Dimyana Bottros
Honors Undergraduate Theses
Clostridium, a genus of anaerobic, spore-forming bacteria, includes clinically and ecologically significant species like Clostridium difficile and Paeniclostridium sordellii. C. difficile causes antibiotic-associated colitis, while P. sordellii is linked to fatal infections and spontaneous abortions. Recent studies found both species in marine sediments, suggesting their role in environmental and wildlife health disturbances, including the 2013 mass mortality of over 300 manatees in the Indian River Lagoon. However, isolating and differentiating P. sordellii is challenging due to the lack of selective media optimized for its growth. This thesis proposes a novel selective medium tailored to P. sordellii’s physiological …
Impacts Of Bacterial Evolution On Host Lethality In Drosophila, Andrew Preston
Impacts Of Bacterial Evolution On Host Lethality In Drosophila, Andrew Preston
College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses
Evolution is the process by which species change their genetic traits, such as the pathogenicity of bacteria, over time in response to changes in their environment. Although the genetic mechanisms underlying many evolutionary processes have been revealed, it is still not well understood how opportunistic pathogens, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, become virulent. The overall goal of this thesis is to test the Coincidental Evolution Hypothesis, which proposes that the virulence of opportunistic pathogens evolves coincidentally as a by-product of their interaction with their natural predators. I hypothesized that the virulence of ancestral Pseudomonas aeruginosa changes over time if it co-evolves …
Clonal Diversity, Antibiotic Resistance, And Virulence Factor Prevalence Of Community Associated Staphylococcus Aureus In Southeastern Virginia, Katelyn D. Cranmer, Mohan D. Pant, Suzanne Quesnel, Julia A. Sharp
Clonal Diversity, Antibiotic Resistance, And Virulence Factor Prevalence Of Community Associated Staphylococcus Aureus In Southeastern Virginia, Katelyn D. Cranmer, Mohan D. Pant, Suzanne Quesnel, Julia A. Sharp
EVMS School of Health Professions Faculty Publications
Staphylococcus aureus is a significant human pathogen with a formidable propensity for antibiotic resistance. Worldwide, it is the leading cause of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI), septic arthritis, osteomyelitis, and infective endocarditis originating from both community- and healthcare associated settings. Although often grouped by methicillin resistance, both methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive (MSSA) strains are known to cause significant pathologies and injuries. Virulence factors and growing resistance to antibiotics play major roles in the pathogenicity of community-associated strains. In our study, we examined the genetic variability and acquired antibiograms of 122 S. aureus clinical isolates from SSTI, blood, and urinary …
Resolving The Repression Pathway Of Virulence Gene Hila In Salmonella, Alexandra King, Lon Chubiz Phd, Brenda Pratte, Lauren Daugherty
Resolving The Repression Pathway Of Virulence Gene Hila In Salmonella, Alexandra King, Lon Chubiz Phd, Brenda Pratte, Lauren Daugherty
Undergraduate Research Symposium
Salmonella is a relatively abundant, virulent species of bacteria that is most known for spreading gastrointestinal diseases through food. These illnesses result in approximately 1.35 million infections, including over 25,000 hospitalizations each year, in the U.S. alone (CDC.gov). As antibiotic resistance becomes an increasingly urgent public health problem, the importance of developing alternative treatment methods is only becoming more crucial. One of the genes responsible for this virulence is known as hilA. HilA is the main transcriptional regulator of Salmonella Pathogenicity Island-1 gene (UniProt). SPI-1 plays an important role in the invasion of Salmonella into epithelial cells. The proteins encoded …
Sickness Behaviors Across Vertebrate Taxa: Proximate And Ultimate Mechanisms, Patricia C. Lopes, Susannah S. French, Douglas C. Woodhams, Sandra A. Binning
Sickness Behaviors Across Vertebrate Taxa: Proximate And Ultimate Mechanisms, Patricia C. Lopes, Susannah S. French, Douglas C. Woodhams, Sandra A. Binning
Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research
There is nothing like a pandemic to get the world thinking about how infectious diseases affect individual behavior. In this respect, sick animals can behave in ways that are dramatically different from healthy animals: altered social interactions and changes to patterns of eating and drinking are all hallmarks of sickness. As a result, behavioral changes associated with inflammatory responses (i.e. sickness behaviors) have important implications for disease spread by affecting contacts with others and with common resources, including water and/or sleeping sites. In this Review, we summarize the behavioral modifications, including changes to thermoregulatory behaviors, known to occur in vertebrates …
Respiratory Pathogens In Patients With Acute Exacerbation Of Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis From A Developing Country, Shayan Shahid, Kausar Jabeen, Nousheen Iqbal, Joveria Farooqi, Muhammad Irfan
Respiratory Pathogens In Patients With Acute Exacerbation Of Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis From A Developing Country, Shayan Shahid, Kausar Jabeen, Nousheen Iqbal, Joveria Farooqi, Muhammad Irfan
Medical College Documents
Bronchiectasis unrelated to cystic fibrosis (non-CF bronchiectasis) has become a major respiratory disease in developing nations. The dilated mucus filled airways promote bacterial overgrowth followed by chronic infection, bronchial inflammation, lung injury and re-infection Accurate pathogen identification and antimicrobial susceptibility allowing appropriate treatment, in turn, may break this vicious cycle. To study the spectrum and antimicrobial spectrum of pathogen yielded from respiratory specimens in adult patients with acute exacerbation of non-cystic fibrosis (CF) bronchiectasis. This cross-sectional study was performed at the pulmonology clinics of the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan from 2016-2019. Respiratory specimens were collected from adult patients with …
Repression Of Tick Microrna-133 Induces Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptide Expression Critical For Anaplasma Phagocytophilumsurvival In The Vector And Transmission To The Vertebrate Host, Ellango Ramasamy, Vikas Taank, John F. Anderson, Hameeda Sultana, Girish Neelakanta
Repression Of Tick Microrna-133 Induces Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptide Expression Critical For Anaplasma Phagocytophilumsurvival In The Vector And Transmission To The Vertebrate Host, Ellango Ramasamy, Vikas Taank, John F. Anderson, Hameeda Sultana, Girish Neelakanta
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
The microRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of gene expression. In this study, we provide evidence for the first time to show that rickettsial pathogen Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection results in the down-regulation of tick microRNA-133 (miR-133), to induce Ixodes scapularis organic anion transporting polypeptide (isoatp4056) gene expression critical for this bacterial survival in the vector and for its transmission to the vertebrate host. Transfection studies with recombinant constructs containing transcriptional fusions confirmed binding of miR-133 to isoatp4056 mRNA. Treatment with miR-133 inhibitor resulted in increased bacterial burden and isoatp4056 expression in ticks and tick cells. In contrast, treatment with …
The Regulatory Relationship Of Transcriptional Regulators Msab And Cody In Capsule Production In Staphylococcus Aureus, Brittany L. Trunell
The Regulatory Relationship Of Transcriptional Regulators Msab And Cody In Capsule Production In Staphylococcus Aureus, Brittany L. Trunell
Honors Theses
There are many transcriptional regulators found in pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus. Many of these regulators are essential for the organism’s ability to switch from commensal form to the virulent pathogenic form. One of these main regulators is CodY. This regulator has been shown to be responsive to nutrient availability during phases of growth. Additionally, we have recently found that MsaB, the only protein coding ORF of the msaABCR operon, is a putative co-regulator of capsule along with CodY. To explore these regulator interactions, we produced mutations of codY and msaABCR individually and a double mutation of msaABCR/ codY. We have observed …
Ticks Elicit Variable Fibrinogenolytic Activities Upon Feeding On Hosts With Different Immune Backgrounds, Ashish Vora, Vikas Taank, John F. Anderson, Durland Fish, Daniel E. Sonenshine, John D. Catravas, Hameeda Sultana, Girish Neelakanta
Ticks Elicit Variable Fibrinogenolytic Activities Upon Feeding On Hosts With Different Immune Backgrounds, Ashish Vora, Vikas Taank, John F. Anderson, Durland Fish, Daniel E. Sonenshine, John D. Catravas, Hameeda Sultana, Girish Neelakanta
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
Ticks secrete several anti-hemostatic factors in their saliva to suppress the host innate and acquired immune defenses against infestations. Using Ixodes scapularis ticks and age-matched mice purchased from two independent commercial vendors with two different immune backgrounds as a model, we show that ticks fed on immunodeficient animals demonstrate decreased fibrinogenolytic activity in comparison to ticks fed on immunocompetent animals. Reduced levels of D-dimer (fibrin degradation product) were evident in ticks fed on immunodeficient animals in comparison to ticks fed on immunocompetent animals. Increased engorgement weights were noted for ticks fed on immunodeficient animals in comparison to ticks fed on …
Calling In Sick: Impacts Of Fever On Intra-Urban Human Mobility, T. Alex Perkins, Valerie A. Paz-Soldan, Steven T. Stoddard, Amy C. Morrison, Brett M. Forshey, Kanya C. Long, Eric S. Halsey, Tadeusz J. Kochel, John P. Elder, Uriel Kitron, Thomas W. Scott, Gonzalo M. Vazquez-Prokopec
Calling In Sick: Impacts Of Fever On Intra-Urban Human Mobility, T. Alex Perkins, Valerie A. Paz-Soldan, Steven T. Stoddard, Amy C. Morrison, Brett M. Forshey, Kanya C. Long, Eric S. Halsey, Tadeusz J. Kochel, John P. Elder, Uriel Kitron, Thomas W. Scott, Gonzalo M. Vazquez-Prokopec
Faculty Publications
© 2016 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved. Pathogens inflict a wide variety of disease manifestations on their hosts, yet the impacts of disease on the behaviour of infected hosts are rarely studied empirically and are seldom accounted for in mathematical models of transmission dynamics. We explored the potential impacts of one of the most common disease manifestations, fever, on a key determinant of pathogen transmission, host mobility, in residents of the Amazonian city of Iquitos, Peru. We did so by comparing two groups of febrile individuals (dengue-positive and dengue-negative) with an afebrile control group. A …
Blastomyces: Why Be Dimorphic?, Dennis J. Baumgardner
Blastomyces: Why Be Dimorphic?, Dennis J. Baumgardner
Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews
In introducing the infectious disease focus for this edition of the Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews, the author describes the unsolved mysteries surrounding the dimorphic fungus Blastomyces and the related pathogenesis of pulmonary blastomycosis.
Anaplasma Marginale Actively Modulates Vacuolar Maturation During Intracellular Infection Of Its Tick Vector, Dermacentor Andersoni, Foregivemore Magunda, Chelsea Wright Thompson, David A. Schneider, Susan M. Noh
Anaplasma Marginale Actively Modulates Vacuolar Maturation During Intracellular Infection Of Its Tick Vector, Dermacentor Andersoni, Foregivemore Magunda, Chelsea Wright Thompson, David A. Schneider, Susan M. Noh
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
ABSTRACT Tick-borne transmission of bacterial pathogens in the order Rickettsiales is responsible for diverse infectious diseases, many of them severe, in humans and animals. Transmission dynamics differ among these pathogens and are reflected in the pathogen-vector interaction. Anaplasma marginale has been shown to establish and maintain infectivity within Dermacentor spp. for weeks to months while escaping the complex network of vacuolar peptidases that are responsible for digestion ofthe tick blood meal. How this prolonged maintenance of infectivity in a potentially hostile environment is achieved has been unknown. Using the natural vector Dermacentor andersoni, we demonstrated that A. marginale …
Role Of The Exopolysaccharide Alginate In Adherence To And Inflammation Of Pulmonary Epithelial Cells, Brian E. Crossley
Role Of The Exopolysaccharide Alginate In Adherence To And Inflammation Of Pulmonary Epithelial Cells, Brian E. Crossley
Theses and Dissertations
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infections in Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients are not easily cleared due to the conversion from a nonmucoid to a mucoid phenotype. Alginate is an acetylated exopolysaccharide produced by mucoid PA that is responsible for increased resistance to antibiotics, host phagocytic killing, and propagating biofilm formation. Understanding the interaction between PA and host cells is critical to understanding chronic infection and inflammation in CF. In order to investigate this, we used A549 pulmonary epithelial cells and murine alveolar macrophages (MH-S) to examine host response to nonmucoid versus mucoid PA infection. Adhesion assays in A549 pulmonary epithelial cells revealed …
Cholesterol Degradation Pathways As Therapeutic Targets In Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Veronica Escalante, Johnathan Abou-Fadel, Rhone A. Mendoza, Hugues Ouellet
Cholesterol Degradation Pathways As Therapeutic Targets In Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Veronica Escalante, Johnathan Abou-Fadel, Rhone A. Mendoza, Hugues Ouellet
COURI Symposium Abstracts, Summer 2012
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is an intracellular pathogen responsible for about 2 million deaths worldwide annually. During infection, Mtb faces the nutrient-deficient environment of the macrophage phagosome and switches to lipids, including cholesterol, as its main source or carbon and energy. Extensive work has been done on the cholesterol AB rings degradation, but much less is known about the degradation of the CD rings and aliphatic side-chain, which are thought to be shortened by β-oxidation reactions. In this study, we investigate the role of four fadD (fadD3, fadD17, fadD19 and fadD36) and eight fadE ( …
Emerging Dynamics Of Human Campylobacteriosis In Southern Ireland, Susan Bullman, Daniel Corcoran, James O'Leary, Derry O'Hare, Brigid Lucey, Roy D. Sleator
Emerging Dynamics Of Human Campylobacteriosis In Southern Ireland, Susan Bullman, Daniel Corcoran, James O'Leary, Derry O'Hare, Brigid Lucey, Roy D. Sleator
Department of Biological Sciences Publications
Infections with Campylobacter spp. pose a significant health burden worldwide. The significance of Campylobacter jejuni/Campylobacter coli infection is well appreciated but the contribution of non-C. jejuni/C. coli spp. to human gastroenteritis is largely unknown. In this study, we employed a two-tiered molecular study on 7194 patient faecal samples received by the Microbiology Department in Cork University Hospital during 2009. The first step, using EntericBio® (Serosep), a multiplex PCR system, detected Campylobacter to the genus level. The second step, utilizing Campylobacter species-specific PCR identified to the species level. A total of 340 samples were confirmed as Campylobacter genus positive, 329 of …