Immunology and Infectious Disease Commons^™

The Impact Of Polio Eradication On Routine Immunization And Primary Health Care: A Mixed-Methods Study, Svea Closser, Kelly Cox, Thomas M. Parris, R Matthew Landis, Judith Justice, Ranjani Gopinath, Kenneth Maes, Hailom Banteyerga Amaha, Ismaila Zango Mohammed, Rashid Jooma

Section of Neurosurgery

Background: After 2 decades of focused efforts to eradicate polio, the impact of eradication activities on health systems continues to be controversial. This study evaluated the impact of polio eradication activities on routine immunization (RI) and primary healthcare (PHC).
Methods: Quantitative analysis assessed the effects of polio eradication campaigns on RI and maternal healthcare coverage. A systematic qualitative analysis in 7 countries in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa assessed impacts of polio eradication activities on key health system functions, using data from interviews, participant observation, and document review.
Results: Our quantitative analysis did not find compelling evidence of widespread and …

Measuring Immune Responsiveness In Xenopus Laevis Using Phytohaemagglutanin (Pha), Kevin Kinney, Skyler Majors, Madelyn Lee, Scott Espich, Erika Kischuk

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Phytohaemagglutanin (PHA) is a red kidney bean extract that has been used to stimulate an immunological T cell response in a variety of animals. This procedure has become very popular method to analyze an individual animal’s ability to trigger an immunological response.(Brown 2014) PHA skin testing has been used in a variety of avian, mice, lizard, and amphibian species where it is injected into the muscle, skin, or webbing of an animal and then recording the amount of swelling before and after the injection.(Smits 1999) We are using the amphibian Xenopus laevis to test 1) their immune reaction under normal …

Discovery Of A 240 Million Year Old Nematode Parasite Egg In A Cynodont Coprolite Sheds Light On The Early Origin Of Pinworms In Vertebrates, Jean-Pierre Hugot, Scott Gardner, Victor Borba, Priscilla Araujo, Daniela Leles, Átila Da-Rosa, Juliana Dutra, Luis Fernando Ferreira, Adauto Araújo

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Background: We report the discovery of a nematode parasite egg (Nemata: Oxyurida) from a coprolite closely associated with the remains of several species of Cynodontia, dated to 240 million years old. This finding is particularly significant because this is the oldest record of an oxyurid nematode yet discovered, and because the cynodonts are considered a stem-group of the mammals.

Methods: We extracted material from a fully mineralized coprolite by both scraping the surface, and removing fragments from its interior with clean dental instruments used a single time. A single drop of glycerol from a new vial was added as a …

Erection Of The Haploporid Genus Litosaccus N. G. And Its Phylogenetic Relationship Within The Haploporidae Nicoll, 1914, Michael J. Andres, Eric E. Pulis, Thomas A. Cribb, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Litosaccus n. g. is erected for Paralecithobotrys brisbanensis Martin, 1974 n. comb. for which an amended description is given. The new genus is morphologically similar to the haploporine Lecithobotrys Looss, 1902 but with a more elongate and cylindrical body; an infundibuliform oral sucker; a thin-walled hermaphroditic sac; a shallow genital atrium; and unequal, cylindrical, and elongated caeca. It also resembles Pseudolecithobotrys Blasco-Costa, Gibson, Balbuena, Raga & Kostadinova, 2009, but the only member of that genus has a hermaphroditic sac that is twice the length of the ventral sucker, a hermaphroditic duct with intensely staining cuboidal cells, an elongate testis, and …

Establishing Tobacco Origin From Pollen Identification: An Approach To Resolving The Debate, Shane Williams, Shelby Hubbard, Karl Reinhard, Sérgio Augusto De Miranda Chaves

Karl Reinhard Publications

Previous research into pollen content of tobacco resulted in a debate. We address this debate and determine that pollen analysis may be able to assist with identifying geographical origin of tobacco. However, the value of any results should be assessed on a case-by-case regional basis until sufficient database information is available for an objective interpretation to be undertaken on a global basis. As a first step toward developing comparative data for South America, we analyzed a tobacco sample from Brazil in an effort to identify signature taxa from the state of Minas Gerais. We also assessed the role of honey …

Characterization Of Severe Fever With Thrombocytopenia Syndrome In Rural Regions Of Zhejiang, China, Lei Zhang, Ling Ye, David M. Ojcius, Xiuyu Lou, Chengwei Wang, Cen Feng, Yi Sun, Zhongfa Wang, Shibo Li, Yanjun Zhang

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) infections have recently been found in rural regions of Zhejiang. A severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) surveillance and sero-epidemiological investigation was conducted in the districts with outbreaks. During the study period of 2011–2014, a total of 51 SFTSV infection cases were identified and the case fatality rate was 12% (6/51). Ninety two percent of the patients (47/51) were over 50 years of age, and 63% (32/51) of laboratory confirmed cases occurred from May to July. Nine percent (11/120) of the serum samples from local healthy people without symptoms were found to be …

Human Papillomavirus And The Gardasil Vaccine: Medicalization And The Gendering Of Bodies And Bodily Risk, Lauren Camara

Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts

No abstract provided.

A Cytoplasmic Rna Virus Generates Functional Viral Small Rnas And Regulates Viral Ires Activity In Mammalian Cells, Kuo-Feng Weng, Chuan-Tien Hung, Po-Ting Hsieh, Mei-Ling L. Li, Guang-Wu Chen, Yu-An Kung, Peng-Nien Huang, Rei-Lin Kuo, Li-Lien Chen, Jing-Yi Lin, Robert Yung-Liang Wang, Shu-Jen Chen, Petrus Tang, Jim-Tong Horng, Hsing-I Huang, Jen-Ren Wang, David M. Ojcius, Gary Brewer, Shin-Ru Shih

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

The roles of virus-derived small RNAs (vsRNAs) have been studied in plants and insects. However, the generation and function of small RNAs from cytoplasmic RNA viruses in mammalian cells remain unexplored. This study describes four vsRNAs that were detected in enterovirus 71-infected cells using next-generation sequencing and northern blots. Viral infection produced substantial levels (>10⁵ copy numbers per cell) of vsRNA1, one of the four vsRNAs. We also demonstrated that Dicer is involved in vsRNA1 generation in infected cells. vsRNA1 overexpression inhibited viral translation and internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) activity in infected cells. Conversely, blocking vsRNA1 enhanced …

Differences In Speciation Progress In Feather Mites (Analgoidea) Inhabiting The Same Host: The Case Of Zachvatkinia And Alloptes Living On Arctic And Longtailed Skuas, Miroslawa Dabert, Stephen J. Coulson, Dariusz J. Gwiazdowicz, Børge Moe, Sveinn Are Hanssen, Elisabeth M. Biersma, Hanne E. Pilskog, Jacek Dabert

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Recent molecular phylogenetic analyses have revealed that some apparently oligoxenous feather mite species are in fact monoxenous cryptic species with little morphological differentiation. In this study we analyzed two species, Zachvatkinia isolata (Avenzoariidae) and Alloptes (Sternalloptes) stercorarii (Alloptidae) which prefer different parts of the plumage of two sister species of birds: arctic skua (Stercorarius parasiticus) and long-tailed skua (S. longicaudus) breeding on tundra in the High Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. Given that there are no reports about hybridization events between the host species, we expected that both skuas would have …

Assessment Of Anthelmintic Efficacy Of Mebendazole In School Children In Six Countries Where Soil-Transmitted Helminths Are Endemic, Bruno Levecke, Antonio Montresor, Marco Albonico, Shaali M. Ame, Jerzy M. Behnke, Jeffrey M. Bethony, +15 Additional Authors

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND:

Robust reference values for fecal egg count reduction (FECR) rates of the most widely used anthelmintic drugs in preventive chemotherapy (PC) programs for controlling soil-transmitted helminths (STHs; Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and hookworm) are still lacking. However, they are urgently needed to ensure detection of reduced efficacies that are predicted to occur due to growing drug pressure. Here, using a standardized methodology, we assessed the FECR rate of a single oral dose of mebendazole (MEB; 500 mg) against STHs in six trials in school children in different locations around the world. Our results are compared with those previously obtained …

Survey Of The Ectoparasites Of The Invasive Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes Auropunctatus [Carnivora: Herpestidae]) On St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, Kelsey L. Townsend, Karen E. Powers

Virginia Journal of Science

In March 2012, live trapping surveys were conducted for invasive small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Forty mongoose were sampled (31%, 9&) for ectoparasites, and cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) were discovered on 17 individuals. There was no difference in the number of ectoparasites per mongoose across age classifications (r = 0.109, P = 0.579). However, males had more cat fleas than females, even when mass was taken into account (males are generally heavier). Future behavioral studies may explain these sex differences. Although management suggestions from this research are limited, these …

Biosafety: Evaluation And Regulation Of Genetically Modified (Gm) Crops In The United States, Richard E. Goodman

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

This review of the safety assessment of genetically modified (GM) crops is focused primarily on the process and progress in the United States (US). It reviews the development of the safety evaluation process from the Asilomar conference in 1975 considering issues relevant to recombinant DNA technology, to discussions between the US government, academic and industrial scientists between 1984 and 1994 when the first GM crops were being field tested and evaluated commercial release for food and feed production. International guidelines were also reviewed for consistency with the US system. The overall process includes consideration of information relating to history of …

Discretized Agent-Based Model Of Infectious Disease Spread That Uses Contact Probability, Tyrell L. Gardner

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This study uses contact probability in an agent-based model to simulate the spread of an infectious disease. In order to perform the study, the agent-based model must first be discretized into events. Each agent in the model is given its own infectious disease state machine taken from the Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered (SEIR) model. The agents move between squares in a grid environment where each square represents a group. Groups have a contact probability as an attribute that is used to predict whether an agent comes in close contact with another agent. The transitions between the states in the SEIR model are easily …

Genetics Of The Pig Tapeworm In Madagascar Reveal A History Of Human Dispersal And Colonization, Tetsuya Yanagida, Jean-François Carod, Yasuhito Sako, Minoru Nakao, Eric P. Hoberg, Akira Ito

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

An intricate history of human dispersal and geographic colonization has strongly affected the distribution of human pathogens. The pig tapeworm Taenia solium occurs throughout the world as the causative agent of cysticercosis, one of the most serious neglected tropical diseases. Discrete genetic lineages of T. solium in Asia and Africa/Latin America are geographically disjunct; only in Madagascar are they sympatric. Linguistic, archaeological and genetic evidence has indicated that the people in Madagascar have mixed ancestry from Island Southeast Asia and East Africa. Hence, anthropogenic introduction of the tapeworm from Southeast Asia and Africa had been postulated. This study shows that …

Dynamically-Expressed Prion-Like Proteins Form A Cuticle In The Pharynx Of Caenorhabditis Elegans, Julia B. George-Raizen, Keith R. Shockley, Nicholas F. Trojanowski, Annesia L. Lamb, David M. Raizen

Publications and Research

In molting animals, a cuticular extracellular matrix forms the first barrier to infection and other environmental insults. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans there are two types of cuticle: a wellstudied collagenous cuticle lines the body, and a poorly-understood chitinous cuticle lines the pharynx. In the posterior end of the pharynx is the grinder, a tooth-like cuticular specialization that crushes food prior to transport to the intestine for digestion. We here show that the grinder increases in size only during the molt. To gain molecular insight into the structure of the grinder and pharyngeal cuticle, we performed a microarray analysis to …

Lack Of Awareness Of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (Hiv) Infection: Problems And Solutions With Self-Reported Hiv Serostatus Of Men Who Have Sex With Men, Travis H. Sanchez, Colleen F. Kelley, Eli Rosenberg, Nicole Luisi, Brandon O'Hara, Rodriques Lambert, Raphael Coleman, Paula M. Frew, Laura F. Salazar, Sijia Tao, William Clarke, Carlos Del Rio, Patrick S. Sullivan

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Background. Lack of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection awareness may be a driver of racial disparities in HIV infection among men who have sex with men (MSM). Lack of awareness is typically measured by comparing HIV test result to self-reported HIV status. This measure may be subject to reporting bias and alternatives are needed.Methods. The InvolveMENt study examined HIV disparities between black and white MSM from Atlanta. Among HIV-positive participants who did not report knowing they were positive, we examined other measures of awareness: … See full text for complete abstract.

Differential Spatial Repositioning Of Activated Genes In Biomphalaria Glabrata Snails Infected With Schistosoma Mansoni, Halime D. Arican-Goktas, Wannaporn Ittiprasert, Joanna M. Bridger, Matty Knight

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Schistosomiasis is an infectious disease infecting mammals as the definitive host and fresh water snails as the intermediate host. Understanding the molecular and biochemical relationship between the causative schistosome parasite and its hosts will be key to understanding and ultimately treating and/or eradicating the disease. There is increasing evidence that pathogens that have co-evolved with their hosts can manipulate their hosts' behaviour at various levels to augment an infection. Bacteria, for example, can induce beneficial chromatin remodelling of the host genome. We have previously shown in vitro thatBiomphalaria glabrata embryonic cells co-cultured with schistosome miracidia display genes changing their …

A Rational Framework For Evaluating The Next Generation Of Vaccines Against Mycobacterium Avium Subspecies Paratuberculosis, John P. Bannantine, Murray E. Hines Ii, Luiz E. Bermudez, Adel M. Talaat, Srinand Sreevatsan, Judith R. Stabel, Yung-Fu Chang, Paul M. Coussens, Raúl G. Barletta, William C. Davis, Desmond M. Collins, Yrjö T. Gröhn, Vivek Kapur

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Since the early 1980s, several investigations have focused on developing a vaccine against Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), the causative agent of Johne's disease in cattle and sheep. These studies used whole-cell inactived vaccines that have proven useful in limiting disease progression, but have not prevented infection. In contrast, modified live vaccines that invoke a Th1 type immune response, may improve protection against infection. Spurred by recent advances in the ability to create defined knockouts in MAP, several independent laboratories have developed modified live vaccine candidates by transcriptional mutation of virulence and metablolic genes in MAP. In order to accelerate …

Validating Tbtif2-Interacting Candidates, Fan Wu, Jennifer Berkey, Joshua Hellsing, Nisha Thaker, Bibo Li

Undergraduate Research Posters 2014

Transmitted by the tsetse fly, Trypanosoma brucei is a protozoan parasite that causes sleeping sickness in human and nagana in cattle. While infecting the bloodstream and central nervous system, T. brucei evades the immune system by altering its major surface antigen, Variant Surface Glycoproteins (VSGs), which forms a thick coat on its cell membrane. The expression sites for VSGs are at the sub-telomeric regions of T. brucei chromosomes. Telomeres, DNA-protein complexes located at the end of chromosomes, provide chromosome stability by preventing degradation of the chromosome ends. The telomere complex also regulates the sub-telomeric VSG expression and switching in T. …

Enhanced Expression Of Codon Optimized Mycobacterium Avium Subsp. Paratuberculosis Antigens In Lactobacillus Salivarius, Christopher D. Johnston, John P. Bannatine, Rodney Govender, Lorraine Endersen, Daniel Pletzer, Helge Weingart, Aidan Coffey, Jim O'Mahony, Roy D. Sleator

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

It is well documented that open reading frames containing high GC content show poor expression in A+T rich hosts. Specifically, G+C-rich codon usage is a limiting factor in heterologous expression of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) proteins using Lactobacillus salivarius. However, re-engineering opening reading frames through synonymous substitutions can offset codon bias and greatly enhance MAP protein production in this host. In this report, we demonstrate that codon-usage manipulation of MAP2121c can enhance the heterologous expression of the major membrane protein (MMP), analogous to the form in which it is produced natively by MAP bacilli. When heterologously over-expressed, antigenic determinants …