Bacterial Infections and Mycoses Commons^™

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.

Epidemiology Crucial To Cracking Elizabethkingia Crisis, Angela Tonozzi

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

The author explains the epidemiological methods, tools and personnel required to pinpoint the source of Wisconsin’s 2016 outbreak of Elizabethkingia infections.

Disease-Causing Fungi In Homes And Yards In The Midwestern United States, Dennis J. Baumgardner

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

A number of fungal pathogens that may result in a variety of human diseases are found in residential homes and yards. The growth of these microscopic fungi is often favored by particular characteristics of the dwelling and nearby outdoor environment. Evolved virulence factors or increased ability of specific fungi to grow in diverse, and sometimes harsh, microenvironments presented by the domestic environment may promote growth and pathogenesis. Infection may occur by inhalation or direct inoculation and include endemic fungi in addition to opportunistic or emerging species. Systemic or locally aggressive fungal infections are particularly likely and may be life-threatening in …

A Community Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Program’S Assessment Of Prolonged Infusion Piperacillin-Tazobactam For Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Pneumonia, Lee Nguyen, Paul Gavaza, Amy Y. Kang, An Nguyen, Liem Hoang, Nguyen Ta

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background: The study aim was to determine and compare the length of hospitalization, mortality, clinical stability, and time to clinical stability of a standard infusion (SI) and prolonged infusion (PI) piperacillin-tazobactam (TZP) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( PA) pneumonia patients.

Methods: This retrospective study evaluated length of hospitalization, mortality, clinical stability, and time to clinical stability with either SI-TZP or PI-TZP therapy in hospitalized patients diagnosed with PA pneumonia between January 01, 2008 and June 30, 2014. Patients were included in the study if they received ≥2 days of TZP, were diagnosed with PA pneumonia, and had TZP therapy …

Intimin Likely Used To Cause Disease During Competition With Commensal Escherichia Coli, Dominique J. Richburg

Senior Honors Theses

The intimin gene in the Locus of Enterocyte Effacement (LEE) island of pathogenicity is the primary attachment mechanism in Citrobacter rodentium. Intimin is a bacterial adhesin (protein) that attaches to obtain a niche/nutrient and thrive within the intestine. Intimin was deleted within C. rodentium to study colonization and pathogenesis in the murine intestine. Additionally, C. rodentium is an attaching/effacing pathogen, and a useful murine model in understanding Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) infection in humans. E. coli and C. rodentium cause gastroenteritis in humans and mice, respectively. C. rodentium is a murine pathogen commonly used to model gastrointestinal disease because …

Paediatric Tuberculosis In Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India: Dots, Diagnosis, And Determinants, Emma Klein

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world’s largest public health challenges, and it has a disproportionate impact on India. In children, TB is a serious but understudied illness due to the complexity of case-notification and relative lack of public health importance. This study took place over the course of one month in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. In a mixed method study consisting of 53 quantitative patient interviews and qualitative interviews with healthcare providers, social determinants of TB in this setting were investigated as well as challenges faced at all stages of healthcare delivery. Malnutrition and housing were the most severe …

Targeting An Essential Gtpase Obg For The Development Of Broad-Spectrum Antibiotics, Josephine A. Bonventre, Ryszard A. Zielke, Konstantin V. Korotkov, Aleksandra E. Sikora

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

A promising new drug target for the development of novel broad-spectrum antibiotics is the highly conserved small GTPase Obg (YhbZ, CgtA), a protein essential for the survival of all bacteria including Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC). GC is the agent of gonorrhea, a prevalent sexually transmitted disease resulting in serious consequences on reproductive and neonatal health. A preventive anti-gonorrhea vaccine does not exist, and options for effective antibiotic treatments are increasingly limited. To address the dire need for alternative antimicrobial strategies, we have designed and optimized a 384-well GTPase assay to identify inhibitors of Obg using as a model Obg protein from …

Community Acquired Pneumonia Project, Patricia Heaney

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

There is an increasing number of microorganisms that are becoming resistant to antimicrobial medications. This growing number of resistant organism poses a serious health threat, not only in this nation, but throughout the world. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there are greater than 2 million people who acquire serious infections that are resistant to one or more antimicrobial agents that were made to treat those organisms (CDC, 2013). Streptococcus pneumonia (S. pneumoniae or pneumococcus) is one such organism that has been identified by the CDC (2013) as becoming increasingly resistant to drugs that were once …

Aeromonas Hydrophila In Amphibians: Harmless Bystander Or Opportunistic Pathogen, Zachary P. Rivas

Honors Undergraduate Theses

For several decades amphibian populations have been declining. Historically, the bacterium A. hydrophila (Ah) was hypothesized to be the causal factor in amphibian disease and population declines. However, with the discovery of a chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in 1998, which was identified on the skin of amphibians during documented mortality events, Ah research became of minor interest as focus shifted to Bd. Recent studies into the immunocompromising abilities of Bd, however, have opened new questions about its relationship with Ah and their combined effects on a host.

In this study, I explore the …

Hydrocortisone, Vitamin C And Thiamine For The Treatment Of Severe Sepsis And Septic Shock: A Retrospective Before-After Study, Paul E. Marik, Vikramjit Khangoora, Racquel Rivera, Michael H. Hooper, John Catravas

Bioelectrics Publications

BACKGROUND: The global burden of sepsis is estimated as 15 to 19 million cases annually with a mortality rate approaching 60% in low income countries.

METHODS: In this retrospective before-after clinical study, we compared the outcome and clinical course of consecutive septic patients treated with intravenous vitamin C, hydrocortisone and thiamine during a 7-month period (treatment group) compared to a control group treated in our ICU during the preceding 7 months. The primary outcome was hospital survival. A propensity score was generated to adjust the primary outcome.

FINDINGS: There were 47 patients in both treatment and control groups with no …

The Effects Of Amixicile, A Pyruvate Ferredoxin Oxidoreductase Inhibitor, On Oral Treponemes, Lucas A. Reed

Theses and Dissertations

Periodontal disease (PD) is a polymicrobial infection characterized by inflammation of the gingiva, alveolar bone resorption, and tooth loss (edentulism). Treponema denticola along with Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia are among the “Red Complex” and are main etiological agents in PD. Treponemes are a member of the Spirochaeta phylum and are obligate anaerobes, that express pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFOR). The enzyme catalyzes the oxidation of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA and reduced ferredoxin. Amixicile is a novel bacteriostatic derivative of nitazoxanide and an inhibitor of PFOR. In light of the fact that Treponemes express PFOR, this study was conducted to investigate the …

Investigation Of Anaplasma Phagocytophilum And Anaplasma Marginale Adhesin-Host Cell Interactions, Kathryn S. Hebert

Theses and Dissertations

Anaplasma phagocytophilum and A. marginale are the etiologic agents of bovine anaplasmosis and human granulocytic anaplasmosis, respectively. As obligate intracellular pathogens, binding and entry of host cells is a prerequisite for survival. The molecular events associated with these processes are poorly understood. Identifying the adhesins mediating binding, delineating their key functional domains, and determining the molecular determinants to which they bind not only benefits better understanding of Anaplasma spp. pathobiology, but could also benefit the development of novel approaches for protecting against infection. We previously demonstrated that A. phagocytophilum outer membrane protein A (ApOmpA) is critical for bacterial binding and …

Invasion Of Two Tick-Borne Diseases Across New England: Harnessing Human Surveillance Data To Capture Underlying Ecological Invasion Processes, Katharine S. Walter, Kim M. Pepin, Colleen T. Webb, Holly D. Gaff, Peter J. Krause, Virginia E. Pitzer, Maria A. Diuk-Wasser

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Modelling the spatial spread of vector-borne zoonotic pathogens maintained in enzootic transmission cycles remains a major challenge. The best available spatio-temporal data on pathogen spread often take the form of human disease surveillance data. By applying a classic ecological approach-occupancy modelling-to an epidemiological question of disease spread, we used surveillance data to examine the latent ecological invasion of tick-borne pathogens. Over the last half-century, previously undescribed tick-borne pathogens including the agents of Lyme disease and human babesiosis have rapidly spread across the northeast United States. Despite their epidemiological importance, the mechanisms of tick-borne pathogen invasion and drivers underlying the distinct …

In Vitro Activity Of Polymyxin B And Meropenem Alone And In Combination Against Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae, Brandon T. Kulengowski

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Background: Infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae such as Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae are among the most urgent threats of the infectious disease realm. The incidence of these infections has only been increasing over the years and due to very limited treatment options, mortality is estimated at about 50%.

Methods: To evaluate the in vitro activity of meropenem and polymyxin B against carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, antimicrobial susceptibility testing and time-kill studies were performed on K. pneumoniae clinical isolates representing a wide range of meropenem resistance (MICs 4 – 128 mg/L).

Results: Regrowth was observed at clinically relevant concentrations of meropenem alone …

Differences In Rhodococcus Equi Infections Based On Immune Status And Antibiotic Susceptibility Of Clinical Isolates In A Case Series Of 12 Patients And Cases In The Literature, Praveen Gundelly, Yasuhiro Suzuki, Julie A. Ribes, Alice C. Thornton

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Rhodococcus equi is an unusual zoonotic pathogen that can cause life-threatening diseases in susceptible hosts. Twelve patients with R. equi infection in Kentucky were compared to 137 cases reported in the literature. Although lungs were the primary sites of infection in immunocompromised patients, extrapulmonary involvement only was more common in immunocompetent patients (P > 0.0001). Mortality in R. equi-infected HIV patients was lower in the HAART era (8%) than in pre-HAART era (56%) (P > 0.0001), suggesting that HAART improves prognosis in these patients. Most (85–100%) of clinical isolates were susceptible to vancomycin, clarithromycin, rifampin, aminoglycosides, ciprofloxacin, and imipenem. …

Difference In Knowledge Of Mrsa Regarding Sophomore And Senior Baccalaureate Nursing Students, Payton T. Lloyd, Daniel B. Whited, Lori N. Crimaldi

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Abstract

Background

The risk of infection by antibiotic resistant organisms is a common problem in hospital settings. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is the most common type of resistant bacteria that can have serious consequences or even lead to death. Nurses' knowledge of how to prevent and treat this problem is essential for patient safety. The purpose of this study is to determine the differences in level of knowledge of MRSA in sophomore and senior level baccalaureate nursing students.

Methods

This descriptive, comparative study will examine differences in knowledge of MRSA between sophomore and senior baccalaureate nursing students and determine if …

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Outer Membrane Vesicles Triggered By Human Mucosal Fluid And Lysozyme Can Prime Host Tissue Surfaces For Bacterial Adhesion, Matteo M. E. Metruccio, David J. Evans, Manal M. Gabriel, Jagath L. Kadurugamuwa, Suzanne M. J. Fleiszig

Faculty Publications & Research of the TUC College of Pharmacy

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a leading cause of human morbidity and mortality that often targets epithelial surfaces. Host immunocompromise, or the presence of indwelling medical devices, including contact lenses, can predispose to infection. While medical devices are known to accumulate bacterial biofilms, it is not well understood why resistant epithelial surfaces become susceptible to P. aeruginosa. Many bacteria, including P. aeruginosa, release outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) in response to stress that can fuse with host cells to alter their function. Here, we tested the hypothesis that mucosal fluid can trigger OMV release to compromise an epithelial barrier. This was tested using …

Isavuconazole In The Treatment Of Invasive Aspergillosis And Mucormycosis Infections, Monica A. Donnelley, Elizabeth S. Zhu, George R. Thompson Iii

Faculty Publications & Research of the TUC College of Pharmacy

We have a limited arsenal with which to treat invasive fungal infections caused by Aspergillus and Mucorales. The morbidity and mortality for both pathogens remains high. A triazole antifungal, isavuconazole, was recently granted approval by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis and mucormycosis. A randomized double-blind comparison trial for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis found isavuconazole noninferior to voriconazole. A separate, open-label study evaluating the efficacy of isavuconazole in the treatment of mucormycosis found comparable response rates to amphotericin B and posaconazole treated historical controls. The prodrug isavuconazonium sulfate …

Typical Hus: Evidence Of Acute Phase Complement Activation From A Daycare Outbreak, T M. Brady, C Pruette, L F. Loeffler, Darcy Weidemann, J J. Strouse, E Gavriilaki, R A. Brodsky

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The clinical manifestations of typical hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) encompass a wide spectrum. Despite the potentially severe sequelae from this syndrome, treatment approaches remain supportive. We present the clinical course of a child who contracted Shiga toxin-positive E. coli (STEC) from a daycare center during an outbreak. Utilizing the modified Ham test which is a rapid, serum-based functional assay used to detect activation of the alternative pathway of complement as observed in atypical HUS, patient sera revealed evidence of increased complement activation in the acute phase of the syndrome but not after resolution. Further, this complement activation was attenuated by …

Inhibition Of Bacterial Growth And Prevention Of Bacterial Adhesion With Localized Nitric Oxide Delivery, Julia Osborne

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Bacterial infections continue to be a problem at the site of an indwelling medical device, and over the years, various bacterial strains have become more resistant to current antibiotic treatments. Bacterial infection at an indwelling medical device can be dangerous and affect the performance of the medical device which can ultimately lead to the failure of the device due to bacterial resistance to treatment.

Nitric Oxide (NO) has been shown to possess antibacterial properties to prevent and inhibit bacterial growth. NO releasing coatings on indwelling medical devices could provide a reduction in bacterial infections that occur at the device site …

Prevalence Of Nasal Colonization By Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus In Persons Using A Homeless Shelter In Kansas City, Megan Ottomeyer, Charles D. Graham, Avery D. Legg, Elizabeth S. Cooper, Chad D. Law, Mariam Molani, Karine Matevossian, Jerry Marlin, Charlott Williams, Ramon Newman, Jason A. Wasserman, Larry W. Segars, Tracey A H Taylor

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Nasal colonization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) plays an important role in the epidemiology and pathogenesis of disease. Situations of close-quarter contact in groups are generally regarded as a risk factor for community-acquired MRSA strains due to transmission via fomites and person-to-person contact. With these criteria for risk, homeless individuals using shelter facilities, including showers and toilets, should be considered high risk for colonization and infection. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of nasal colonization of MRSA in a homeless population compared to established rates of colonization within the public and a control group of subjects …