Bacterial Infections and Mycoses Commons^™

Oral Mucormycosis In Post-Covid-19 Patients: A Case Series, Asmaa Ras, Enji A. Ahmed, Dalia M. Ghalwash, Radwa Hussein, Ayman A. Elgawish, Abou-Bakr E. Ras

Dentistry

No abstract provided.

Formulation Of Coffee Extract As Polymeric Nanoparticles And Studying Their Potential Biological Activities, Nouran Sharaf

Theses and Dissertations

Coffee extract was prepared and optimized (by solvent extraction) and subsequently entrapped into PLGA nanoparticles using single emulsion-solvent evaporation method (using Design Expert software). Dynamic Light Scattering, Scanning Electron Microscope, Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy and Folin Ciocalteau assay were used to characterize the NPs and to aid in selecting the optimum formulation conditions. The optimized NPs were in-vitro evaluated for their antimicrobial (by agar-well diffusion method), antioxidant (by DPPH assay) and anticancer (by MTT assay) activities. Finally, the release rate study was conducted for the NP sample showing the highly promising results.

The succeeded NP sample, in terms of the most …

Antigenic Variation In Mycoplasma Genitalium Reduces Antibody-Antigen Association Kinetics, Suzanne M. Stafford

Honors Projects

Infections caused by Mycoplasma genitalium, a human genital tract pathogen, often persist for months to years. Antigenic variation of the immunodominant adhesin proteins, MgpB and MgpC, is thought to enhance persistence by avoiding specific antibody-dependent immune clearance. We used surface plasmon resonance (SPR) to study the binding of antibodies from immunized rabbits and experimentally infected primates to recombinant MgpB protein fragments. Primate antibodies collected from 2 weeks before to 2, 4, and 8 weeks after infection associated specifically with two different domains of the MgpB adherence protein (variable region B and a conserved C-terminal region) bound via amine coupling …

The Causes Of Surface Condensation And Mould, And The Responsibility Of Relevant Parties To Alleviate Them, Joseph Little

Reports

All over Ireland large numbers of people live in unsanitary conditions suffering poor indoor air quality, surface condensation and mould. Where the occupants are tenants the cause of the conditions and identification of the parties responsible can cause much stress. Condensation and mould growth on the internal surface of a room are caused by a combination of factors due to specific conditions. In severe cases, one of these factors may lead to surface condensation and/or mould growth, but in general, surface condensation and/or mould growth occurs when two or three of these occur together. Even though multiple causes and shared …

Antibiotic Tolerance And Heteroresistance: Associated Fitness Costs And Potential In Evading Antibiotic Killing, Tina H. Dao

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a prominent human pathogen that causes both invasive and non-invasive diseases, such as otitis media, pneumonia, meningitis, and bacteremia. Although it is frequently an asymptomatic colonizer of the human nasopharynx, S. pneumoniae is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the immune compromised population, young children, and the elderly. Up until the 1970s, S. pneumoniae was susceptible to almost all antibiotics. Since then, this pathogen has gained resistance to a variety of antibiotic treatments, including beta-lactams, macrolides, and fluoroquinolones.

In the first chapter, we focused on fluoroquinolone resistance in S. pneumoniae. Fluoroquinolones are one of the …

Identification Of Effectors Of Synergistic Lethality In Candida Albicans-Staphylococcus Aureus Polymicrobial Intra-Abdominal Infection, Olivia Adele Todd

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Candida albicans, an opportunistic fungal pathogen, and Staphylococcus aureus, a ubiquitous pathogenic bacterium, are among the most prevalent causes of nosocomial infections and cause severe morbidity and mortality. Moreover, they are frequently coisolated from central venous catheters and deep-seated infections, including intra-abdominal sepsis. Relatively little is known about the complex interactions and signaling events that occur between microbes and even less so how microbial “cross-talk” shapes human health and disease.

Using a murine model of polymicrobial intra-abdominal infection (IAI), we have previously shown that coinfection with C. albicans and S. aureus leads to synergistic lethality whereas monomicrobial infection is nonlethal. …

An Assessment Of Outpatient Clinic Room Ventilation Systems And Possible Relationship To Disease Transmission, Kristin G King, George L Delclos, Eric L Brown, Susan Tortolero Emery, Jose Miguel Yamal, Robert J Emery

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: With healthcare shifting to the outpatient setting, this study examined whether outpatient clinics operating in business occupancy settings were conducting procedures in rooms with ventilation rates above, at, or below thresholds defined in the American National Standards Institute/American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers/American Society for Health Care Engineering Standard 170 for Ventilation in Health Care Facilities and whether lower ventilation rates and building characteristics increase the risk of disease transmission.

METHODS: Ventilation rates were measured in 105 outpatient clinic rooms categorized by services rendered. Building characteristics were evaluated as determinants of ventilation rates, and risk of disease …

Pediatric Pulmonary Artery Aneurysms Causing Pulmonary Hemorrhage: A Case Of Transcatheter Intervention While On Va Ecmo Support, Igor Areinamo

Research Days

Background: The incidence of pulmonary artery aneurysm (PAA) in children remains unknown. There are few reports of a transcutaneous interventional approach to address this type of pathology. Management of PAAs while on VA ECMO has not been described in pediatrics.

Objectives/Goal:

Methods/Design:

Case: 9-year-old previously healthy male presented with MRSA associated ARDS and sepsis requiring urgent VA ECMO cannulation. Chest CT done on ECMO day 22 showed development of right sided PAAs. Patient had an episode of significant pulmonary hemorrhage. Angiogram demonstrated two fusiform right PAAs, one of which had ruptured and was bleeding into the lung parenchyma. Patient had …

Diagnosis And Management Of Otitis Media With Effusion In Pediatric Urgent Care Clinics, Ashley Deschepper

Research Days

Background: Otitis media with effusion (OME)’s clinical presentation is often confused with acute otitis media (AOM) by providers. Despite OME guidelines recommending watchful waiting with no antibiotics, rates of antibiotic use remain elevated. In our pediatric urgent care clinics (UCCs), an estimated 50% of patients diagnosed with OME receive antibiotic prescriptions.

Objectives/Goal: To determine the provider diagnosis validity and the rates of antibiotics prescribed among pediatric OME patients evaluated in 3 UCCs within a pediatric healthcare system.

Methods/Design: We randomly selected 75% of encounters for children age 0-18 years who had a billing diagnosis of OME in 2019. Charts were …

Rheumatoid Nodule Mimicker Mycobacterium Haemophilum: A Case Presentation, Elisa Griswold

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Mycobacterium haemophilum is a rare infection that can present in humans as subcutaneous nodules and cutaneous lesions. With a growing number of immunocompromised patients, M. haemophilum infections are becoming more common. Rheumatoid nodules in comparison are very common and can occur in approximately 25% of patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Here we discuss a case in a patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis who developed subcutaneous nodules that mimicked rheumatoid nodules, but were later determined to be infectious nodules from Mycobacterium haemophilum.

Cushing’S Reflex And Bradycardic Arrest In Cryptococcal Meningitis, Scott Briggs, Trent Malcolm

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Cushing’s reflex is a physiologic response to maintain cerebral perfusion pressure with elevated systolic blood pressure, widened pulse pressure, and bradycardia occurring in the setting of elevated intracranial pressure (ICP). The proposed mechanisms for reflexive bradycardia include ischemia to medullary brain tissue and compression of the intracranial segment of the vagus nerve leading to parasympathetic activation. (1) In acutely elevated ICP, bradycardia is a late finding of worsening intracranial pathology suggestive of impending herniation and cardiovascular collapse.

Cryptococcal meningitis has been identified by Infectious Disease Society of America for its association with elevated ICP. (2) Variety of pathogenic mechanisms occurring …

Lipoxin A 4 (Lxa 4 ) Promotes Reduction And Antibiotic Efficacy Against Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilm, Julianne M. Thornton, Jean Walker, Prem Yugandhar Kadiyam Sundarasivarao, Bernd Spur, Ana Rodriguez, Kingsley Yin

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P aeruginosa) is an opportunistic bacterium commonly found in wound infections and airways of cystic fibrosis patients P aeruginosa readily forms biofilms which can reduce the efficacy of antibiotics used to eradicate the pathogen We have previously shown that a Specialized Pro resolving Mediator ( Lipoxin A 4 (LxA 4 is a quorum sensing inhibitor which can reduce P aeruginosa virulence In this study, we examined the direct actions of LxA 4 and RvD 2 on P aeruginosa biofilm formation and virulence gene expression The influence of LxA 4 on antibiotic efficacy and the combined effects on biofilm …

Sensing Surfaces: A Non-Filamentous C. Albicans Response, Elias Smith

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Resulting infections of mucosal tissues by Candida albicans present difficulty in treatment due to the formation of biofilms and invasion of tissue directed by thigmo-tropic responses of hyphal cells. Initiation of biofilm formation, however, is largely dependent on yeast-form cells. Their ability to sense surfaces, however, has yet to be examined. In the present study, an initial genetic profiling of the surface sensing response by non-filamentous Candida albicans was generated. In order to assess the ability for yeast-form C. albicans cells to recognize surfaces, four differentially solidified YPD plate types were created using agar, noble agar, Gelrite, and carrageenan. Genetic …

Delineating The Upc2a Regulon In Candida Glabrata, Yu Li

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Candida glabrata is the second most common cause of invasive candidiasis. Intrinsic resistance has greatly limited the utility of the triazole antifungal, fluconazole, in the treatment of invasive fungal infection. The transcription factor Upc2 regulates the expression of sterol biosynthesis genes in yeast. Disrupting UPC2A in C. glabrata greatly increases its susceptibility to fluconazole (FLU) in both FLU-susceptible and -resistant clinical isolates. Therefore, the Upc2A and its target genes represent a potential pathway for overcoming FLU resistance in C. glabrata. We aimed to delineate the Upc2A regulon to determine its target genes involved in FLU resistance. Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis …

Tuberculoid Leprosy Masquerading As Erythema Induratum, Manuel Britto, Danish M. Siddiq, Michael Morgan, Anthony Dedea, Utpal Patel

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Introduction

Erythema Induratum (EI) is a relatively rare dermatologic disorder affecting subcutaneous fat tissue, which is often associated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This report details the presentation, diagnosis and management in a 70-year-old female who presented with a painful erythematous annular rash at the clinic. The rash was later diagnosed as EI associated with Mycobacterium leprae, one rarely seen in literature.

Discussion

EI is a rare form of panniculitis that typically presents as a recurrent grouping of tender nodules and plaques on the posterior aspect of the lower legs. Although EI is considered idiopathic in most cases, it can be associated …

A Novel Application Of Galleria Mellonella Larvae To Study Pathogenesis Of Rickettsia Rickettsii Infection, Jacob M. Jones

Honors College Theses

Rickettsia are obligate intracellular tick-borne bacteria that cause acute undifferentiated febrile illness accompanied by headache, malaise, myalgias, and disseminated endothelial infection. Immune responses to Rickettsia and pathogenesis of rickettsioses are not fully understood. Current work with Rickettsia is limited to vertebrate models that are strictly regulated and have low throughput. Since the innate immune system of vertebrates retains striking similarities with the immune response in insects, invertebrates are being used to study host responses to various pathogens. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if larvae of the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella (GML) can be used as an …

Challenges And Opportunities In Food Safety-A Review, Iram Asim, Humaira Yasmeen

Journal of Bioresource Management

Food-borne diseases are the group of disorders that are caused by consuming food having microbial existence in it. So safe food handling is to make sure the lessening of detrimental effects in growth to the packaging of food to minimize health issues on consumers which otherwise can lead to large scale disease outburst. This review concludes the findings of the studies on how food is being handled from farm to fork, how airlines are contributing towards the spreading of diseases, how any negligence in any one of the steps can cause havoc to mankind in the light of the recent …

Pneumonia Radiograph Diagnosis Utilizing Deep Learning Network, Wesley O'Quinn

Honors College Theses

Pneumonia is a life-threatening respiratory disease caused by bacterial infection. The goal of this study is to develop an algorithm using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to detect visual signals for pneumonia in medical images and make a diagnosis. Although Pneumonia is prevalent, detection and diagnosis are challenging. The deep learning network AlexNet was utilized through transfer learning. A dataset consisting of 11,318 images was used for training, and a preliminary diagnosis accuracy of 72% was achieved.

A Covid-19 Risk Score Combining Chest Ct Radiomics And Clinical Characteristics To Differentiate Covid-19 Pneumonia From Other Viral Pneumonias, Zuhua Chen, Xiadong Li, Jiawei Li, Shirong Zhang, Pengfei Zhou, Xin Yu, Yao Ren, Jiahao Wang, Lidan Zhang, Yunjiang Li, Baoliang Wu, Yanchun Hou, Ke Zhang, Rongjun Tang, Yongguang Liu, Zhongxian Ding, Bin Yang, Qinghua Deng, Qin Lin, Ke Nie, Zhaobin Cai, Shenglin Ma, Yu Kuang

Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences Faculty Research

With the continued transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) throughout the world, identification of highly suspected COVID-19 patients remains an urgent priority. In this study, we developed and validated COVID-19 risk scores to identify patients with COVID-19. In this study, for patient-wise analysis, three signatures, including the risk score using radiomic features only, the risk score using clinical factors only, and the risk score combining radiomic features and clinical variables, show an excellent performance in differentiating COVID-19 from other viral-induced pneumonias in the validation set. For lesion-wise analysis, the risk score using three radiomic features only also …

Enteric Fever, Buddha Basnyat, Farah Naz Qamar, Priscilla Rupali, Tahmeed Ahmed, Christopher M. Parry

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

No abstract provided.

Stability Evaluation Of Extemporaneously Compounded Vancomycin Ophthalmic Drops: Effect Of Solvents And Storage Conditions, Christopher Ross, Basir Syed, Joanna Pak, Vishal Jhanji, Jason Yamaki, Ajay Sharma

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Vancomycin is the drug of choice for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus keratitis and other ocular infections. Vancomycin ophthalmic drops are not commercially available and require compounding. The present study was designed to investigate the stability of vancomycin ophthalmic drops in normal saline, phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), and balanced salt solution (BSS) while stored at room temperature or under refrigeration. Vancomycin ophthalmic drops (50 mg/mL) were aseptically prepared from commercially available intravenous powder using PBS, BSS, and saline. Solutions were stored at room temperature and in a refrigerator for 28 days. The vancomycin stability was tested by a microbiology assay and high-performance liquid …

When The Pandemic Opts For The Lockdown: Secretion System Evolution In The Cholera Bacterium, Francis J. Santoriello, Stefan Pukatzki

Publications and Research

Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of the diarrheal disease cholera, is a microbe capable of inhabiting two different ecosystems: chitinous surfaces in brackish, estuarine waters and the epithelial lining of the human gastrointestinal tract. V. cholerae defends against competitive microorganisms with a contact-dependent, contractile killing machine called the type VI secretion system (T6SS) in each of these niches. The T6SS resembles an inverted T4 bacteriophage tail and is used to deliver toxic effector proteins into neighboring cells. Pandemic strains of V. cholerae encode a unique set of T6SS effector proteins, which may play a role in pathogenesis or pandemic …

Distribution And Antibiotic Resistance Profiles Of Salmonella Enterica In Rural Areas Of North Carolina After Hurricane Florence In 2018, Yuqing Mao, Mohamed Zeineldin, Moiz Usmani, Sital Uprety, Joanna Shisler, Antarpreet Jutla, Avinash Unnikrishnan, Thanh H. Nguyen

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The frequency and magnitude of extreme events are increasing globally (Arnell & Gosling, 2016). Inundation, as a result of massive flooding, has the potential to change environmental conditions abruptly, and as a result, add pressure to the metabolism and proliferation of microorganisms (Furtak et al., 2020). The resulting overland flows and additional burden from domestic sewer and septic tank systems during an extreme flood event can introduce pathogens into ecologically unstable water bodies. For example, Yu et al. (2018) reported elevated levels of Escherichia coli and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in river water samples 6 months after flooding in Houston, …

Epidemiology And Outcomes Of Hospitalized Adults With Sars-Cov-2 Community-Acquired Pneumonia In Louisville, Kentucky, Julio A. Ramirez, T'Shura Ali, Thomas Chandler, Stephen P. Furmanek, Daniya Sheikh, Vidyulata Salunkhe, Steven Gootee, Mohammad Tahboub, William A. Mattingly, Demetra Antimisiaris, Jiapeng Huang, Jose Bordon, Rodrigo Cavallazzi, Paul Schulz, William P. Mckinney, Dawn Balcom, Mark Burns, Ruth Carrico, Forest W. Arnold, Cerid Covid-19 Study Group

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: During the ongoing pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), SARS-CoV-2 community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) has been the primary cause of hospitalization. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of 1,013 patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 CAP from September 2020 through March 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of 1,013 patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 CAP at eight of the adult hospitals in the city of Louisville from September 2020 through March 2021. Patients with 1) a positive reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for SARS-CoV-2, 2) fever, cough, or …

Sociodemographic, Clinical Characteristics, And Outcomes Of Influenza Pneumonia Patients Admitted In A Tertiary Care Hospital In Karachi, Pakistan: Findings From A Cross-Sectional Study, Fazal Ur Rehman, Muhammad Arslan Ahmed, Kashif Aziz, Mahmooda Jabeen Ashraf, Tazein Amber, Sumera Aziz Ali

Section of Internal Medicine

Objective: To determine the sociodemographic, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of influenza pneumonia patients in tertiary care hospital, Karachi Pakistan.
Study design: A cross-sectional study.
Place and duration of study: The Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi Pakistan from January 2013 to December 2018. Methodology: All adult patients who were older than 18 years and suspected to have viral pneumonia were included in the study. Data were abstracted on 105 patients and were entered on preformed proforma after reviewing the files of patients.
Results: Ninety-four (89.5%) patients were influenza positive and 15.2% (n=16) had been vaccinated. Around 92.4% (n=97), 81.9% (n=86) and …

Streptococcus Cristatus – An Oral Bacterium Causing A Case Of Mild Bacteremia And “Possible Endocarditis”, Camilo Guzman, Adi Zaclli, John Molinari

Medical Student Research Symposium

Streptococcus cristatus is a member of the Mitis streptococcus group. Like other members of this group, it resides in mucosal surfaces of the oral cavity but rarely causes disease. We present a case of S. cristatus bacteremia and “possible endocarditis” (per the modified Duke criteria) in a 59-year-old male suffering from end- stage cryptogenic cirrhosis. To date, it is the fifth reported case of disease caused by the microbe, and the first adult case in which S. cristatus was the sole microbe identified. Our patient had a history of dental caries and poor dentition, which were likely the source of …

Association Of Presenting Symptoms With Abnormal Laboratory Values For Vector-Borne Illness — Experience In An Urban Gastroenterology Practice, Michael D. Erdman, Niloofar Kossari, Jessica Ye, Kristen H. Reynolds, Emily Blodget, B. Robert Mozayeni, Farshid Sam Rahbar

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Background: In the clinical setting, it is not common practice to consider a vector bite, such as from a tick or flea, to be a contributing factor to chronic digestive symptoms. This article investigates associations we have observed among symptomatic patients and positive blood tests for vector-borne illness (VBI).

Methods: Patients who visited an urban gastroenterology clinic over a 3-year period were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 270 patients presenting with a constellation of digestive symptoms — and who had no apparent digestive pathology and reported no prior diagnosis or treatments for VBI — were analyzed. Before the initial visit, …

Role Of Rela In Dormancy And Toxr Proteolysis In Vibrio Cholerae, Zachary J. Malaussena

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Vibrio cholerae, the etiological agent of the severe diarrheal disease cholera, is an enteric pathogen that can be found in aquatic ecosystems when not colonizing the human gastrointestinal tract. Under adverse environmental conditions, V. cholerae is capable of entering dormant states that increase its survival during these ecological fluctuations. In these states, V. cholerae slows its metabolic activity and exhibits drastically altered gene expression and morphology. Stressors that lead to entry into these states vary from nutrient limitation, suboptimal pH, or antimicrobials. Cells in these dormant states are highly resistant to antimicrobials and cannot be detected using standard microbiological techniques …

Environmental Contaminants And Bacterial Infection During Pregnancy: Pilot Study Of Pregnant Murine Co-Exposure To Trichloroethylene (Tce) And Group B Streptococcus (Gbs), Eleanor Scheeres, Emily Schellenboom, Sean Harris, Erica Boldenow

Summer Research

• TCE is a volatile organic solvent used in industrial processes and a known human carcinogen.
• GBS is a common bacteria in the vaginal flora but can lead to complications such as preterm birth during pregnancy.
• Co-treatment (GBS+DCVC) in placental membranes lead to inhibition of pathogen stimulated cytokine secretion
• We hypothesized that along with cytokine secretion, GBS+DCVC co-exposure would have impacts on MMP-9 (a protein involved in gestational membrane degradation) 4 and prostaglandin E2 (a hormone involved in cervical ripening and labor induction) 5, two important proteins in pregnancy and labor

Amphiphilic Cell-Penetrating Peptides Containing Natural And Unnatural Amino Acids As Drug Delivery Tools And Antimicrobial Agents, David Salehi

Pharmaceutical Sciences (MS) Theses

Cell-penetrating peptides containing arginine as positively charged residues and tryptophan or diphenylalanine as hydrophobic residues were synthesized. The synthesis was accomplished through the Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis in the presence of HBTU and DIPEA. The side-chain protected linear peptides were cleaved from the resin and cyclized in the presence of DIC and HOAt in the solution phase overnight. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry was used to characterize the peptides.

The cytotoxicity of the synthesized peptides was determined in CCRF-CEM (human, lymphoblast peripheral blood), and HEK-293 (human, embryonic epithelial kidney healthy) cells using the MTS assay. A concentration of 10 µM was found …