Medical Microbiology Commons^™

Clostridioides Difficile: Identification Of Rival Organisms & Evaluation Of Non-Antibiotic Treatment Implementation, Justin Davis

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Clostrioides difficile is a common cause of nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections. Patients receiving antibiotic treatment experience dysbiosis of gut microbiota, and C. difficile, normally held in check by the various other organisms, takes this opportunity to propagate. Symptoms of infection generally include diarrhea, colitis, dehydration, and fever. Understanding that C. difficile generally only causes illness when it is the dominant bacterium (i.e. when growth is relatively unchecked by other microbes), it is appropriate to investigate potential competitive organisms that may be introduced after antibiotic courses or during active C. difficile infection to effectively displace it. Fecal samples from the University …

Tim/Tam Receptors: A Potential Biomarker For Predicting Sensitivity To Zika Virus-Induced Oncolysis In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancers, Shankari Somasekar

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) constitute 80-85% of lung cancers and are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. The most common cause is prolonged smoking. Current treatment options for NSCLC include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, targeted drug therapy, and immunotherapy. Although these medications are effective in the short term, patients often face issues of drug resistance and debilitating side effects with prolonged use. Currently, the use of Zika virus (ZIKV) is being researched as a possible alternative treatment for cancer, which minimizes side effects and the risk of drug resistance. TIM/TAM proteins are identified as the putative ZIKV receptors on …

Advancing Clinical Bacterial Diagnosis: Gram-Stained Whole-Slide Image Classification With Attention-Based Deep Learning, Jack Mcmahon

Computer Science Senior Theses

We introduce a new method for the classification of Gram-stained WSIs. As a test for the diagnosis of blood infections, Gram stains are highly relevant to informing patient treatment. Rapid analysis of Gram stains has been shown to be positively associated with better clinical outcomes, indicating the need for better tools to aid in automatic Gram stain analysis. To date, this area of research has been underexplored, with previous studies relying on the manual patch-level annotation of WSIs to generate training data. This is the first application of a transformer-based model to Gram-stain WSI classification, an approach that is far …

The Impact Of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus And Maternal Oral Microbiome: A Scoping Review, Jaclyn P. Langan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common pregnancy-related metabolic disorder associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Recent research has highlighted the potential role of the oral microbiome in the pathophysiology of various systemic conditions, including diabetes mellitus. However, the impact of GDM on the maternal oral microbiome remains relatively understudied. Understanding alterations in the oral microbiome during pregnancy complicated by GDM could provide valuable insights into the mechanistic links between systemic metabolic disorders and oral health.

Objective: The objective of this scoping review was to comprehensively examine the existing literature on the relationship between GDM and maternal oral …

Unraveling The Effects Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Staphylococcus Aureus Carriage: A Comparative Research Of Pre- And Post-Pandemic Samples, Catherine G. Johnston

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about significant changes in the epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus carriage and disease. This study aims to assess these changes by leveraging respiratory samples collected from a longstanding cohort, comparing the genomic characteristics of S. aureus isolates from pre- and post-pandemic periods. We analyzed S. aureus genomes and phenotypically determined macrolide resistance to characterize population structure, antibiotic resistance, and virulence profiles. Changes in S. aureus carriage rates, macrolide resistance, disease occurrence, and population structure between samples collected pre- and post-pandemic were examined. By using respiratory samples, chart reviews, and risk factor questionnaires of 498 children from a …

The Sewage Microbiome Dynamics Of Different Serving Neighborhoods In Charleston, Illinois, Sandra Chiamaka Okoye

Masters Theses

The complex microbial ecosystem within sewage systems holds significant implications for environmental and public health. Unlike studies on wastewater treatment plant microbiomes, upstream sewage systems have not been studied widely. This research investigated the dynamic sewage microbiome across diverse serving neighborhoods in Charleston, Illinois, encompassing residential, hospital, industrial, and university areas. Drawing upon recent advancements in microbiome research, the study aimed to unravel the spatial and temporal variations in microbial structures. Three times between June to December 2023 sewage samples were collected from manholes in the areas mentioned above. Community DNA was extracted and sequenced for the V4-V5 region of …

Synergistic Effects Of Antimicrobial Components Of The Human-Derived Composite Amnion-Chorion Membrane On Bacterial Growth, Alexandra Su Brummerhop, Chun-Teh Lee, Robin Weltman, Gena D Tribble, Ransome Van Der Hoeven, Yulun Chiu, Jianming Hong, Bing-Yan Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: The human-derived amnion-chorion membrane (ACM) has endogenous antimicrobial properties, which are important for preventing the colonization and survival of oral bacteria on exposed membranes. This project aimed to decipher the underlying mechanism by identifying the components of ACM that confer antibacterial properties. In addition, the antimicrobial efficacy of these identified components on oral bacteria was assessed.

Methods: Four antimicrobial proteins, histone H2A/H2B, cathelicidin LL-37, lactoferrin, and lysozyme, were identified via mass spectrometry in ACM. These proteins were then assessed for their efficacy in killing Streptococcus gordonii Challis. Log-phased bacterial cells were cultured with the commercially available proteins that were …

Interplay Of Antibody Responses To Closely Related Viruses And Autoimmunity, Chun-Yang Lin

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Antibodies produced by B cells are crucial for eliminating infectious pathogens and preventing secondary infection. However, antibodies may also bind to self-antigens and contribute to autoimmune disease. While pathogen infections have been associated with development of autoimmune diseases, the precise contributions of viral infections to autoimmunity remain elusive. The presence of autoreactive antibodies is associated with an increased risk of developing autoimmune disease. Thus, analyzing the impact of viral infection and vaccination on the development of autoreactive antibodies will provide essential insight into mechanisms that contribute to autoimmune disease.

Examining How Non-Antifungal Medications Impact Host-Fungal Interactions, Parker Ryan Reitler

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are estimated to kill 1.5 million people each year with mortality rates remaining high (around 30-70%), despite the availability of three major classes of antifungal drugs. Furthermore, millions more suffer debilitating infections of the mucosal membranes or destructive subcutaneous mycoses. One of the most common IFIs is invasive candidiasis, mostly commonly caused by Candida albicans infections, with mortality rates of approximately 30%. In addition, the population of susceptible individuals and the incidences of both mucosal and systemic mycoses continue to rise due to the widespread use of broad-spectrum antibacterial agents, cancer chemotherapies, and the immune suppressive …

Ftsk Regulates The Assembly Of The Division Machinery In The Ftsz-Less Chlamydia Trachomatis, Mckenna Katherine Harpring

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

In evolving to obligate intracellular dependence, Chlamydia trachomatis serovar L2 (Ct), has eliminated several gene products essential for cell division in most other bacteria, including FtsZ, the central coordinator of divisome assembly. In the absence of FtsZ, we show that divisome assembly in Ct is initiated by FtsK, a chromosomal translocase. Chlamydial FtsK forms discrete foci at the septum and at the base of the progenitor mother cell, and our data indicate that FtsK foci at the base of the mother cell mark the location of nascent divisome complexes that form at the site where a daughter cell will emerge …

Insights Into The Assembly And Regulation Of The Bacterial Divisome, Todd A Cameron, William Margolin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The ability to split one cell into two is fundamental to all life, and many bacteria can accomplish this feat several times per hour with high accuracy. Most bacteria call on an ancient homologue of tubulin, called FtsZ, to localize and organize the cell division machinery, the divisome, into a ring-like structure at the cell midpoint. The divisome includes numerous other proteins, often including an actin homologue (FtsA), that interact with each other at the cytoplasmic membrane. Once assembled, the protein complexes that comprise the dynamic divisome coordinate membrane constriction with synthesis of a division septum, but only after overcoming …

Persistent Microbial Infections And Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis – An Insight Into Non-Typeable Haemophilus Influenza Pathogenesis, Anthony Shadid, Haydn E Rich, Hunter Devaughn, Aleksey Domozhirov, Marie-Françoise Doursout, Tingting Weng-Mills, Kristin L Eckel-Mahan, Harry Karmouty-Quintana, Marcos I Restrepo, Pooja Shivshankar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is characterized by chronic inflammation and scarring of the lungs, of which idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most devastating pathologic form. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis pathogenesis leads to loss of lung function and eventual death in 50% of patients, making it the leading cause of ILD-associated mortality worldwide. Persistent and subclinical microbial infections are implicated in the acute exacerbation of chronic lung diseases. However, while epidemiological studies have highlighted pollutants, gastric aspirate, and microbial infections as major causes for the progression and exacerbation of IPF, the role of persistent microbial infections in the pathogenesis of IPF …

A Bibliometric Analysis Of Literatures On Uterine Leiomyosarcoma In The Last 20 Years, Jinhua Huang, Yu Chen, Ziyin Li, Mimi Chen, Dingwen Huang, Peixin Zhu, Xintong Han, Yi Zheng, Xiaochun Chen, Zhiying Yu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Uterine leiomyosarcoma(uLMS) is a rare malignant tumor with low clinical specificity and poor prognosis.There are many studies related to uLMS, however, there is still a lack of metrological analyses with generalization. This study provides a bibliometric study of uLMS.

Methods and materials: We chose the Web of Science (WoS) as our main database due to its extensive interdisciplinary coverage. We specifically focused on the literature from the last 20 years to ensure relevance and practicality. By utilizing the WOS core dataset and leveraging the R package "bibliometric version 4.1.0" and Citespace, we performed a comprehensive bibliometric analysis. This allowed …

Development Of 3d Cell Culture Model For Graves’ Ophthalmopathy, Rajit Chompoowong

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Orbital tissue fibrosis and remodeling contribute to the development of exophthalmos, a hallmark symptom of Graves’ ophthalmopathy (GO). The central pathogenesis to this process are orbital fibroblasts (GOF), which express autoantigen, thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR). However, there are limitations in preclinical models for studying the pathogenesis and drug discovery of GO, which poses challenges for developing effective treatment options. This study aimed to identify markers of GOF, explore epigenetic alteration, and develop a scaffold-free 3D cell culture model for GO. The novel results from immunohistochemical analysis showed that vimentin was uniquely expressed in GO but absent in control samples. Additionally, …

Effects Of Stat3 Variant On Stat1 And Stat5b In Fibroblasts From Mice With Stat3 Gain-Of-Function Variant, Natthakan Thareram

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

STAT mutations cause immune system dysfunction and many diseases, such as autoimmune cytopenias, lymphoproliferative disorders, susceptibility to infections, endocrinopathies, and growth defects. However, the molecular activity of these proteins remains unclear. Here, we investigated the phosphorylation, nuclear translocation, and gene expression levels of Stat1, Stat3, and Stat5b, as well as downstream target genes of these proteins, using mouse fibroblasts with Stat3 wild type and Stat3 L387R gain-of-function (GOF) variant edited by CRISPR-Cas9 technique as a model. In fibroblasts of Stat3 L387R GOF animals, the expression of downstream target genes of STAT1, Cxcl10 and Irf7 were significantly decreased compared with Stat3 …