Bacterial Infections and Mycoses Commons^™

The Pathophysiology Of Sepsis, Rachel Hamilton

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Sepsis is still a leading cause of hospital admissions and often leads to death if not identified early and treated properly (Pilcher, Cooper & Bellomo, 2015). In the US there are approximately 200,000 deaths annually due to sepsis (Puskarich, Illich, & Jones, 2014). It is important for advance practice nurses to recognize risk factors for sepsis. By understanding the pathophysiology of sepsis nurse practitioners will be able to recognize early signs and symptoms of this inflammatory disease process and implement early medical management. Early medical treatment in septic patients is crucial to increase patient survival rates.

Clostridium Difficile, Kristen Johnson

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Clostridium difficile (CD) is an infectious disease that has a direct impact on our healthcare resources. “Clostridium difficile, an anaerobic, spore forming, toxin-forming, gram-positive bacillus, has become the leading cause of health care—associated infectious diarrhea (Walters & Zuckerbraun, 2014, p. 329).” I chose this topic because CD is a hypervirulent organism that is not only affecting hospitalized patients but is now emerging as a community acquired infection. Healthcare treatments and costs are on the rise due to persistent and recurrent CD infections. Understanding the pathogenesis, risk factors, diagnostic testing, and management strategies are important in reducing the spread of CD …

The Importance Of Evaluation And Management Of Sepsis, Severe Sepsis, And Septic Shock, Katherine Herda

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Sepsis is a life-threatening and complicated host response to the presence of infection that is affecting millions of individuals around the world each year (Dellinger et al., 2013, p. 583). According to Gray et al. (2013), sepsis is not only one of the primary causes of hospital admission but it is also a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide (p. 397). Severe sepsis and septic shock are the more advanced and detrimental stages of sepsis, which are starting to increase in incidence and are killing one in four (and sometimes more) individuals infected (Dellinger et al., 2013, p. 583). …

Identification Of Transcription Factors Gzf3, Rfx1, Orf19.3928 As Being Implicated In Candida-Bacterial Interactions., Joni Watson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogen that is present in the normal flora in a majority of individuals. One key factor in C. albicans virulence is the ability to change its morphology from yeast to an elongated or hyphal form. The regulation of this morphogenesis relies in part upon quorum sensing (QS) molecules. C. albicans often exists as part of a mixed culture alongside other microbes and is influenced by their presence as well as the presence of QS molecules that they produce. In this study, a library of diploid homozygous transcriptional regulator knockout (TRKO) mutants were screened to identify …

Chip-Seq And In Vivo Transcriptome Analyses Of The Aspergillus Fumigatus Srebp Srba Reveals A New Regulator Of The Fungal Hypoxia Response And Virulence, Dawoon Chung, Bridget M. Barker, Charles C. Carey, Brittney Merriman

Dartmouth Scholarship

The Aspergillus fumigatus sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) SrbA belongs to the basic Helix-Loop-Helix (bHLH) family of transcription factors and is crucial for antifungal drug resistance and virulence. The latter phenotype is especially striking, as loss of SrbA results in complete loss of virulence in murine models of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). How fungal SREBPs mediate fungal virulence is unknown, though it has been suggested that lack of growth in hypoxic conditions accounts for the attenuated virulence. To further understand the role of SrbA in fungal infection site pathobiology, chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by massively parallel DNA sequencing (ChIP-seq) was …

Necrotizing Fasciitis, Holly Herron

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Necrotizing fasciitis also known as necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs) is a rare life-threatening infection that involves the skin and soft tissue. A rapid and accurate diagnosis of NSTIs must be identified by healthcare providers to diminish morbidity and mortality. NSTIs are characterized by progressive necrosis of subcutaneous tissue and fascia involving large areas of tissue (Lin, Chang, Lai, Lin, & Chen, 2013). Hippocrates (500 BC) described necrotizing fasciitis as “diffuse erysipelas caused by trivial accidents [where] flesh, sinews, and bones fell away in large quantities, [leading to] death in many cases” (Lancerotto, Tocco, Salmaso, Vindigni & Bassetto, 2012). In …

Necrotizing Fasciitis: The “Flesh Eating” Disease, John Neukam

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Necrotizing fasciitis, often referred to as the “flesh-eating disease”, is a rare bacterial infection with an extremely high mortality rate with symptoms that begin subtle but can quickly ravish the human body.1 While the prevalence of this disease is relatively low, evidence of this disease can be traced back as far as the 5th century BC where it was initially described by Hippocrates.2 It wasn’t until 1952 however that Dr. Bob Wilson termed the disease “necrotizing fasciitis”.3 The rapid progression of this disease and the acute deterioration it causes in a patient is extremely intriguing. This “flesh-eating disease” can present …

Enterococcus Faecalis Endocarditis: A Case Study, Torri Curtis

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Infectious endocarditis is an uncommon disease of the heart stemming from a bacterial or fungal infection on the endocardial surface of the heart or heart valve (Pierce, Calkins, & Thornton, 2012). From review of the literature, infective endocarditis is fairly uncommon and may be difficult to initially diagnose. Per Sabe, Shrestha, and Menon, occurrence of infective endocarditis (IE) is nearly 0.9-6.2 per 100,000 persons per year (2013). Several preexisting conditions such as aging, heart valve disease, implantable cardiac devices, a history of heart disease such as rheumatic fever, and invasive procedures can put a patient at higher risk for IE …

Infectious Diseases, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Provides information about the role of infectious diseases in the early years of U.S. History, with particular emphasis on how they impacted injuries sustained in military conflict.

Application Of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Based Metabolomics To Study The Central Metabolism Of Staphylococci, Bo Zhang

Department of Chemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Metabolomics studies the collection of small molecules (metabolites) involved in enzymatically catalyzed reactions, cell signaling and cellular structure. Perturbations in metabolite concentrations have been used to reflect the activity of corresponding enzymes or proteins. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a well-known approach for the structure determination of biological macromolecules. Alternatively, NMR has recently been established as a valuable tool of metabolomics, in which NMR spectral signals correlate small molecules with cellular activities. This has been accomplished through the chemometric analysis of high-throughput one dimensional ¹H spectra (metabolic fingerprinting) and quantitative metabolite identification based on two dimensional ¹H, …

Investigating The Viability Of Two Stenotrophomonas Maltophilia Isolates After Air-Drying, Samantha Lane, Joanna Brooke

DePaul Discoveries

Abstract

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a water-borne infectious bacterium that is found in both clinical (hospitals) and non-clinical environments. This human pathogen is commonly recovered from respiratory tract infections. A recent study at a hospital in Taiwan suggested that dry patient charts can serve as a vehicle of transmission of this bacterium⁷. As S. maltophilia is not commonly isolated from dry surfaces, this current study tested the hypothesis that this pathogen can remain viable for some time on a dry surface. This study was designed to determine how long S. maltophilia could remain viable after air-drying by observing …

Characterizing The Response Of Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella Pneumoniae Species To The Application Of A Phage Cocktail, Steven Liu

Symposium

Project Summary: The application of bacteriophages to treat bacterial infections is known as phage therapy, which takes advantage of bacteriophage’s natural ability to infect and lyse bacterial hosts. Phages have been shaped by billions of years of evolution to be highly specialized deliverers of bactericidal agents to the cytoplasm of their target bacteria. Ever since discovery of bacteriophages in 1915, phage therapy was recognized as a potentially powerful tool for eliminating bacterial infections. The effectiveness of phage therapy can be increased by creating a mixture of multiple phages to target a wider variety of bacterial strains. Furthermore, phage therapy has …

Sirt1 Deletion Leads To Enhanced Inflammation And Aggravates Endotoxin-Induced Acute Kidney Injury, Rong Gao, Jiao Chen, Yuxin Hu, Zhenyu Li, Shuxia Wang, Sreerama Shetty, Jian Fu

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

Bacterial endotoxin has been known to induce excessive inflammatory responses and acute kidney injury. In the present study, we used a mouse model of endotoxemia to investigate the role of Sirt1 in inflammatory kidney injury. We examined molecular and cellular responses in inducible Sirt1 knockout (Sirt1-/-) mice and wild type littermates (Sirt1+/+) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced kidney injury. Our studies demonstrated that Sirt1 deletion caused aggravated kidney injury, which was associated with increased inflammatory responses including elevated pro-inflammatory cytokine production, and increased ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression. Inflammatory signaling such as STAT3/ERK phosphorylation and NF-κB activation was markedly elevated in kidney tissues …

Eculizumab In The Successful Treatment Of Postpartum Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome - A Case Report, Craig A. Mackaness Do, Frederick S. Fleszler Md

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Integrating Phage Therapy Into Western Medicine, Jacob B. Jaminet

UROP Posters

The World Health Organization has described the rise of antibiotic use as a “global heath security emergency” (who.int). With the growing concern about antibiotic resistant bacteria, there has been an increased interest in bacteriophages. Bacteriophages are high-specific viruses that only infect bacteria. The use of bacteriophages medicinally to treat bacteria is called phage therapy. Research in phage therapy gained momentum until the introduction of antibiotics. While the USA and other Western countries accepted antibiotics, the Soviet Union and their satellite nations still continued to research phages. Since the funding for research was supplied by the Soviet military, the results of …

Listeria Monocytogenes Can Utilize Both M Cell Transcytosis And Inla-Mediated Uptake To Cross The Epithelial Barrier Of The Intestine During An Oral Infection Model Of Listeriosis, Hilary Denney

Theses and Dissertations--Medical Sciences

The invasive pathways, InlA- and InB-mediated uptake and M cell transcytosis, that Listeria monocytogenes uses to invade the intestine have mainly been studied using infection models that do not truly replicate what occurs during a natural infection. Recently, our lab has developed an oral infection model that is more physiolocally relevant to what occurs during food borne listeriosis. We have sought to evaluate the relative roles of the previously defined invasive pathways, in our oral model of infection. We have done this by utilizing an InlAmCG Lm strain that is able to bind murine E-cadherin, knockout Lm strains, ΔinlA Lm …

A Novel Mechanism Of Enhanced Susceptibility To Bacterial Pneumonia In Influenza-Infected Hosts, Hazem Elsayed Ghoneim

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Viruses such as influenza suppress host immune function by a variety of methods. This may result in a significant morbidity through several pathways, including facilitation of secondary bacterial pneumonia from pathogens such as Streptococcus pneumoniae. Lungresident alveolar macrophages (AMs) act as the first line of innate cellular immunity against respiratory bacterial pathogens, including pneumococcus. Therefore, they represent an attractive target for study Before investigating the impact of influenza infection on resident AMs, we first characterized different subsets of lung-resident macrophages in naïve mice using a novel in vivo labeling approach in conjunction with multicolor flow cytometric analysis and confocal microscopic …

Toll-Like Receptors 2 And 9 Are Important For Innate Immune Cell Activation And Recruitment In Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis, Kelly J. Andrews

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an interstitial lung disease caused by repeated inhalation of environmental antigens. The disease is characterized by alveolitis and granuloma formation; however, some patients develop chronic HP (CHP), a restrictive lung disease characterized by fibrosis. Previous studies revealed that neutrophils are recruited into the lung via a MyD88- dependent pathway and regulate disease severity through cytokine production. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) 2 and 9 recognize conserved molecular patterns present in bacteria, and signal through the adaptor molecule MyD88. The goal of my project is to investigate the role of TLRs 2 and 9 in the pathogenesis of HP …

Erg11-Mediated Azole Resistance In Candida Albicans, Stephanie Ann Flowers

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Although many medically important Candida species are commensal to the gut or colonizers of the skin, these organisms have the propensity to cause disease in the event of a waning immune system. Clinical manifestations of infections with Candida species can range from superficial mucosal infections to deep organ involvement usually resulting from haematogenous spread of infection. Despite significant progress made in the management of patients with fungal infections, the emergence of antifungal resistant clinical isolates creates significant problem in regards to antifungal prophylaxis and empirical treatment strategies. Antifungal resistance is associated with high mortality rates and hefty medical costs. The …

Regulating Rsma Expression In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Sean D. Stacey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative bacillus, commonly infects immunocompromised individuals and uses a variety of virulence factors to persist in these hosts. The posttranscriptional regulator, RsmA, plays a role in the expression of many virulence factors in P. aeruginosa. RsmA up regulates virulence factors used in colonizing hosts. However, regulation of rsmA is not well elucidated. Transposon mutagenesis was performed on P. aeruginosa containing a transcriptional rsmA-lacZ fusion to answer this question. Mutants were screened via β-galactosidase assay and transposon insertions identified via arbitrary PCR. A probable MFS transporter, we named mtpX, was one significant transposon mutant identified. …

Chlamydia Pneumoniae Infection Of Neuronal Cells Induces Changes In Calcium-Associated Gene Expression Consistent With Alzheimer’S Disease, Christopher Andrew Cappellini, Ahmad B. Cader, Keith G. Williams, Juliana Zoga, Susan T. Hingley

Scholarly Posters

Background and Significance: Previous studies have shown that cells infected with Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn) exhibit altered gene expression consistent with that observed in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Furthermore, AD neurodegeneration has been linked to dysregulation of intracellular calcium and calcium-related processes. Therefore, we hypothesize that one mechanism by which pathogenesis evolves in AD is through infection-induced changes in expression of calcium-related genes. Objectives: To determine if infection of neuronal cells with Cpn alters expression of calciumrelated genes associated with neurodegeneration. Methods: SK-N-MC neuronal cells were infected with Cpn (AR39 strain; MOI=1) for 3 to 72 hours, then calcium-related genes were screened …

Neisseria Oralis Sp. Nov., Isolated From Healthy Gingival Plaque And Clinical Samples, William J. Wolfgang, Teresa V. Passaretti, Reashma Jose, Jocelyn Cole, An Coorevits, Andrea N. Carpenter, Sherly Jose, Anita Van Landschoot, Jacques Izard, Donna J. Kohlerschmidt, Peter Vandamme, Floyd E. Dewhirst, Mark A. Fisher, Kimberlee A. Musser

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

A polyphasic analysis was undertaken of seven independent isolates of gram-negative cocci collected from pathological clinical samples from New York, Louisiana, Florida, and Illinois and healthy subgingival plaque from a patient in Virginia, USA. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity among these isolates was 99.7–100 %, and the closest species with a validly published name was Neisseria lactamica (96.9 % similarity to the type strain). DNA–DNA hybridization confirmed that these isolates are of the same species and are distinct from their nearest phylogenetic neighbor, N. lactamica. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S and 23S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the …

Effect Of Age And Vaccination On Extent And Spread Of Chlamydia Pneumoniae Infection In C57bl/6 Mice, Taylor Eddens, Sarah Beaudoin, Amanda Steinberger, Christopher Scott Little, Dawn Shell, Benjamin Wizel, Brian J. Balin Phd, Kerin L. Fresa-Dillon

PCOM Scholarly Works

BACKGROUND: Chlamydia pneumoniae is an obligate intracellular respiratory pathogen for humans. Infection by C. pneumoniae may be linked etiologically to extra-respiratory diseases of aging, especially atherosclerosis. We have previously shown that age promotes C. pneumoniae respiratory infection and extra-respiratory spread in BALB/c mice.

FINDINGS: Aged C57BL/6 mice had a greater propensity to develop chronic and/or progressive respiratory infections following experimental intranasal infection by Chlamydia pneumoniae when compared to young counterparts. A heptavalent CTL epitope minigene (CpnCTL7) vaccine conferred equal protection in the lungs of both aged and young mice. This vaccine was partially effective in protecting against C. …

Retrospective Comparison Of The Incidence Of Acute Kidney Injury In Patients Treated With Intravenous Polymyxin B Or Intravenous Colistimethate Sodium, Rebecca A. Sumner Pharmd, Jarrod W. Kile Rph, Bcps

Department of Pharmacy

No abstract provided.

Autophagy And Apoptotic Genes Implicated In Alzheimer’S Disease Are Modulated Following Infection Of Neuronal Cells With Chlamydia Pneumoniae, Denah M. Appelt, Ian Kohler, Annette K. Slutter, Juliana Zoga, Susan T. Hingley, Brian J. Balin

Scholarly Posters

Background: The focus of the current studies was to determine the relationship between the molecular mechanisms interconnecting autophagy and apoptosis following Chlamydia pneumoniae infection in neuronal cells. Dysfunctions in apoptosis and autophagy have been implicated in the neurodegeneration associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Autophagy in AD pathogenesis has been shown to play a role in amyloid processing through the endosomal-lysosomal system. Apoptosis may contribute to the neuronal cell loss observed in AD; however, there is limited evidence of the apoptotic process proceeding to terminal completion. Although Aβ1-42 has been shown to induce apoptosis in neurons and may be an early …

Infectious Intracranial Aneurysms: Collaboration For Treatment Success, Erin M. Conahan Rn, Bsn, Cnrn

Patient Care Services / Nursing

No abstract provided.

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 …

Tca Cycle Inactivation In Staphylococcus Aureus Alters Nitric Oxide Production In Raw 264.7 Cells, Chandirasegaran Massilamany, Arunakumar Gangaplara, Donald J. Gardner, James M. Musser, David J. Steffen, Greg A. Somerville, Jay Reddy

Jay Reddy Publications

Inactivation of the Staphylococcus aureus tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle delays the resolution of cutaneous ulcers in a mouse soft tissue infection model. In this study, it was observed that cutaneous lesions in mice infected with wild-type or isogenic aconitase mutant S. aureus strains contained comparable inflammatory infiltrates, suggesting the delayed resolution was independent of the recruitment of immune cells. These observations led us to hypothesize that staphylococcal metabolism can modulate the host immune response. Using an in vitro model system involving RAW 264.7 cells, the authors observed that cells cultured with S. aureus aconitase mutant strains produced significantly lower amounts …

Campylobacter Ureolyticus: An Emerging Gastrointestinal Pathogen?, Susan Bullman, Daniel Corcoran, James O'Leary, Brigid Lucey, Deirdre Byrne, Roy D. Sleator

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

A total of 7194 faecal samples collected over a 1-year period from patients presenting with diarrhoea were screened for Campylobacter spp. using EntericBios, a multiplex-PCR system. Of 349 Campylobacter-positive samples, 23.8% were shown to be Campylobacter ureolyticus, using a combination of 16S rRNA gene analysis and highly specific primers targeting the HSP60 gene of this organism. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first report of C. ureolyticus in the faeces of patients presenting with gastroenteritis and may suggest a role for this organism as an emerging enteric pathogen.

Interactions Of Francisella Tularensis With Components Of The Host Fibrinolytic System, Shawn Russell Clinton

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Francisella tularensis (FT) is a Gram-negative coccobacillus and causative agent of a life-threatening disease commonly referred to as tularemia. Due to the highly infectious nature of the organism, its previous development as a biowarfare agent and its potential use in acts of bioterrorism, this bacterium is listed as a Category A select agent by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Efforts to understand the pathogenic mechanisms of FT within the host environment are vital for the development of safe and effective vaccines, as well as treatments, against tularemia. Though considered an intracellular pathogen, FT research of late has …