Investigation Of An Elevational Gradient Reveals Strong Differences Between Bacterial And Eukaryotic Communities Coinhabiting Nepenthes Phytotelmata,
2020
Harvard University
Investigation Of An Elevational Gradient Reveals Strong Differences Between Bacterial And Eukaryotic Communities Coinhabiting Nepenthes Phytotelmata, Kadeem J. Gilbert, Leonora S. Bittleston, Mark Arcebal K. Naive, Anthony E. Kiszewski, Perry Archival C. Buenavente, David J. Lohman, Naomi E. Pierce
Publications and Research
Elevation is an important determinant of ecological community composition. It integrates several abiotic features and leads to strong, repeatable patterns of community structure, including changes in the abundance and richness of numerous taxa. However, the influence of elevational gradients on microbes is understudied relative to plants and animals. To compare the influence of elevation on multiple taxa simultaneously, we sampled phytotelm communities within a tropical pitcher plant (Nepenthes mindanaoensis) along a gradient from 400 to 1200 m a.s.l. We use a combination of metabarcoding and physical counts to assess diversity and richness of bacteria, micro-eukaryotes, and arthropods, and compare the …
Antimicrobial Properties Of An Unknown Microorganism Isolated From The Local Environment,
2020
Otterbein University
Antimicrobial Properties Of An Unknown Microorganism Isolated From The Local Environment, Danielle Duryea
Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects
Bacterial species that cause disease can usually be combatted with antibiotics; but as the years pass, more and more bacterial pathogens are becoming resistant to these treatments. In fact, the Center for Disease Control has identified eighteen classes of bacteria ranging from urgent to concerning threats due antibiotic resistance (2019), warning the advance of an antibiotic resistance crisis in which untreatable bacterial infections will become a leading cause of death (Bennadi, 2014). The Small World Initiative is a program created in 2012 at Yale University to address the antibiotic crisis through a crowdsourcing effort where undergraduate students are encouraged to …
Histidine-Triad Hydrolases Provide Resistance To Peptide-Nucleotide Antibiotics.,
2020
Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology
Histidine-Triad Hydrolases Provide Resistance To Peptide-Nucleotide Antibiotics., Eldar Yagmurov, Darya Tsibulskaya, Alexey Livenskyi, Marina Serebryakova, Yury I Wolf, Sergei Borukhov, Konstantin Severinov, Svetlana Dubiley
Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research
The Escherichia coli microcin C (McC) and related compounds are potent Trojan horse peptide-nucleotide antibiotics. The peptide part facilitates transport into sensitive cells. Inside the cell, the peptide part is degraded by nonspecific peptidases releasing an aspartamide-adenylate containing a phosphoramide bond. This nonhydrolyzable compound inhibits aspartyl-tRNA synthetase. In addition to the efficient export of McC outside the producing cells, special mechanisms have evolved to avoid self-toxicity caused by the degradation of the peptide part inside the producers. Here, we report that histidine-triad (HIT) hydrolases encoded in biosynthetic clusters of some McC homologs or by standalone genes confer resistance to McC-like …
Genome Sequencing Analysis Of Laboratory Isolate Of Francisella Noatunensis Subs. Orientalis,
2020
University of Rhode Island
Genome Sequencing Analysis Of Laboratory Isolate Of Francisella Noatunensis Subs. Orientalis, Joseph Paquette
Senior Honors Projects
Francisella noatunensis subs. orientalis is a known fish pathogen that has been most notably isolated from tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in Costa Rica. The genome of this Francisella species pathogen has been sequenced using Next-Generation Sequencing and been made available for the scientific community. Dr. Kathryn Ramsey’s research laboratory in the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Rhode Island works with several Francisella species pathogens and is interested in identifying the differences, if any, between the known genome sequence of Francisella noatunensis and that of a laboratory isolate of the same species. With the use …
Non-Tuberculous Mycobacterial Infections-A Neglected And Emerging Problem,
2020
Aga Khan University
Non-Tuberculous Mycobacterial Infections-A Neglected And Emerging Problem, Imran Ahmed, Simon Tiberi, Joveria Farooqi, Kauser Jabeen, Dorothy Yeboah-Manu, Giovanni Battista Migliori, Rumina Hasan
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are ubiquitous dwellers of environmental niches and are an established cause of natural and nosocomial infections. The incidence of NTM infections is rising owing to a growing population of immunocompromised and vulnerable individuals, complex medical and surgical procedures, as well as increased awareness and diagnostic capabilities. The prevalence of different NTM varies between continents, regions, and countries. The true global burden of pulmonary and extrapulmonary disease is unknown and estimates are subject to under and/or over-estimation. Diagnosis requires confirmation by isolation of NTM along with clinical and radiological criteria, which may be suboptimal at all levels. Susceptibility …
Beneficial Endophytic Bacterial Populations Associated With Medicinal Plant Thymus Vulgaris Alleviate Salt Stress And Confer Resistance To Fusarium Oxysporum,
2020
Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography
Beneficial Endophytic Bacterial Populations Associated With Medicinal Plant Thymus Vulgaris Alleviate Salt Stress And Confer Resistance To Fusarium Oxysporum, Osama Aballa Abdelshafy Mohamad, Jin-Bao Ma, Yong-Hong Liu, Daoyuan Zhang, Shao Hua, Shirkant Bhute, Brian P. Hedlund, Wen-Jun Li, Li Li
Life Sciences Faculty Research
As a result of climate change, salinity has become a major abiotic stress that reduces plant growth and crop productivity worldwide. A variety of endophytic bacteria alleviate salt stress; however, their ecology and biotechnological potential has not been fully realized. To address this gap, a collection of 117 endophytic bacteria were isolated from wild populations of the herb Thymus vulgaris in Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah of North Sinai Province, Egypt, and identified based on their 16S rRNA gene sequences. The endophytes were highly diverse, including 17 genera and 30 species. The number of bacterial species obtained from root tissues was …
A High-Fat/High-Protein, Atkins-Type Diet Exacerbates Clostridioides (Clostridium) Difficile Infection In Mice, Whereas A High-Carbohydrate Diet Protects,
2020
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
A High-Fat/High-Protein, Atkins-Type Diet Exacerbates Clostridioides (Clostridium) Difficile Infection In Mice, Whereas A High-Carbohydrate Diet Protects, Chrisabelle C. Mefferd, Shrikant S. Bhute, Jacqueline R. Phan, Jacob V. Villarama, Dung M. Do, Stephanie Alarcia, Ernesto Abel-Santos, Brian P. Hedlund
Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Research
Clostridioides difficile (formerly Clostridium difficile) infection (CDI) can result from the disruption of the resident gut microbiota. Western diets and popular weight-loss diets drive large changes in the gut microbiome; however, the literature is conflicted with regard to the effect of diet on CDI. Using the hypervirulent strain C. difficile R20291 (RT027) in a mouse model of antibiotic-induced CDI, we assessed disease outcome and microbial community dynamics in mice fed two high-fat diets in comparison with a high-carbohydrate diet and a standard rodent diet. The two high-fat diets exacerbated CDI, with a high-fat/high-protein, Atkins-like diet leading to severe CDI and …
Surveillance Of Root-Associated Microbiome Of Oxalogenic Colocasia Esculenta (Linn) Plant Reveals Distinct Bacterial Species Diversity,
2020
National Centre for Cell Science
Surveillance Of Root-Associated Microbiome Of Oxalogenic Colocasia Esculenta (Linn) Plant Reveals Distinct Bacterial Species Diversity, Mangesh Vasant Suryavanshi, Nidhi Bharti, Shrikant Subhash Bhute, Vipin Chembili, Pooja Chavan, Yogesh Shripad Shouche
Life Sciences Faculty Research
Oxalic acids are widely distributed in tissues of various plants that can exacerbate the effect on other plant-grazing animals including humans. Bacterial communities had been demonstrated to specify with the rhizosphere of host type and which can differ with oxalogenic plant. The present study has been conducted with the primary objective of understanding the root-associated microbial communities in Colocasia esculenta, an oxalogenic plant and to recognize possible bacterial species that present the potential of having their capability to metabolize oxalates. Of the 852 sequences obtained, 311 corresponded to rhizosphere (S), 250 to rhizoplane (P) and 291 were from non-rhizospheric (NS) …
In Vitro Regeneration Of Dioscorea Alata With Anthocyanin And Antimicrobial Activity,
2020
Universiti Malaya
In Vitro Regeneration Of Dioscorea Alata With Anthocyanin And Antimicrobial Activity, Abdullah Sakinah
Student Works (2020-2029)
An efficient protocol was developed for rapid propagation and regeneration of the Dioscorea alata L. locally known as ‘ubi badak’ because of their rhinoceros-shaped tubers. In the present study, direct and indirect regeneration were induced to produce plantlets of Dioscorea alata L. For direct regeneration explants (leave, stem and node) were cultured on MS media supplemented with various combinations and concentrations of BAP and NAA to induce microshoots and roots formation. The optimum medium for microshoots formation was MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/l BAP and 0.5 mg/l NAA with the number of microshoot is 23.07±0.44 from node explant. While …
Identification Of Antibiotic Producing Soil Bacteria Against Bacillus Subtilis,
2020
Augustana College, Rock Island Illinois
Identification Of Antibiotic Producing Soil Bacteria Against Bacillus Subtilis, Morgan Brockhouse, Dr. Lori Scott
Identifying and Characterizing Novel Antibiotic Producing Microbes From the Soil
This project is a collaboration with the Tiny Earth Project Initiative (TEPI), which is a global network of educators and students focused on student-sourcing antibiotic discovery from soil. Individual strains of soil bacteria were isolated and produced antibiotic against Bacillus subtilis. Two of these samples were sequenced using the 16S rRNA gene to reveal they are very closely related to the genus Pseudomonas.
Biogeographic Study Of Human Gut-Associated Crassphage Suggests Impacts From Industrialization And Recent Expansion,
2020
University of Oklahoma
Biogeographic Study Of Human Gut-Associated Crassphage Suggests Impacts From Industrialization And Recent Expansion, Tanvi P/ Honap, Krithivasan Sankaranarayanan, Stephanie L. Schnorr, Andrew T. Ozga, Christina Warinner, Cecil M. Lewis Jr.
Anthropology Faculty Research
CrAssphage (cross-assembly phage) is a bacteriophage that was first discovered in human gut metagenomic data. CrAssphage belongs to a diverse family of crAss-like bacteriophages thought to infect gut commensal bacteria belonging to Bacteroides species. However, not much is known about the biogeography of crAssphage and whether certain strains are associated with specific human populations. In this study, we screened publicly available human gut metagenomic data from 3,341 samples for the presence of crAssphage sensu stricto (NC_024711.1). We found that crAssphage prevalence is low in traditional, hunter-gatherer populations, such as the Hadza from Tanzania and Matses from Peru, as compared to …
Identifying Essential Viral Genes Through Genomic Engineering,
2020
Western Kentucky University
Identifying Essential Viral Genes Through Genomic Engineering, Amber Carroll
Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
Bacteria developed resistance to penicillin a mere four years after the groundbreaking antibiotic was first mass produced (Casadevall, 2010). Since then, the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has steadily risen, causing millions of difficult to treat infections annually. The challenge is to identify ways to combat these menacing microbes. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria and can potentially be used to eliminate deadly antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The number of sequenced bacteriophage genomes has increased tremendously over the past 10 years, but little is known about the function of most bacteriophage genes. The purpose of this study was to expand our understanding of …
Hiding In Plain Sight: The Globally Distributed Bacterial Candidate Phylum Pauc34f,
2020
University of North Alabama
Hiding In Plain Sight: The Globally Distributed Bacterial Candidate Phylum Pauc34f, Michael L. Chen, Eric D. Becraft, Maria Pachladaki, Julia M. Brown, Jessica K. Jarett, Josep M. Gasol, Nikolai V. Ravin, Duane P. Moser, Takuro Nunoura, Gerhard J. Herndl, Tanja Woyke, Ramunas Stepanauskas
Biology
Bacterial candidate phylum PAUC34f was originally discovered in marine sponges and is widely considered to be composed of sponge symbionts. Here, we report 21 single amplified genomes (SAGs) of PAUC34f from a variety of environments, including the dark ocean, lake sediments, and a terrestrial aquifer. The diverse origins of the SAGs and the results of metagenome fragment recruitment suggest that some PAUC34f lineages represent relatively abundant, free-living cells in environments other than sponge microbiomes, including the deep ocean. Both phylogenetic and biogeographic patterns, as well as genome content analyses suggest that PAUC34f associations with hosts evolved independently multiple times, while …
Characterization Of The Physical And Chemical Effect Of Membrane Disruption And Protein Inhibiting Treatments On E. Coli,
2020
University of Central Florida
Characterization Of The Physical And Chemical Effect Of Membrane Disruption And Protein Inhibiting Treatments On E. Coli, Khadijah Wright
Honors Undergraduate Theses
The increase in antibacterial resistance has placed the issue of microbial multi-drug resistance on a global stage (Gurunathan, 2019). This issue poses a threat to human and animal health as well as to the environment (Aslam et al., 2018). It affects not only the efficacy of treatment but also how those treatments are conducted (Friedman, Temkin, & Carmeli, 2016). As a result of this ongoing threat, new treatments that have potent effects on bacteria are necessary. One scientific response to this issue has been the development of multifunctional nanoparticles (NPs)(H. Wang et al., 2018). NPs have the ability to be …
Helicobacter Pylori Gene Regulation By Virulence Region Located Srnas,
2020
Eastern Washington University
Helicobacter Pylori Gene Regulation By Virulence Region Located Srnas, Veronica Janette Albrecht
EWU Masters Thesis Collection
Approximately 50% of the human population is infected with Helicobacter pylori, which can lead to gastrointestinal diseases such as ulcers and gastric adenocarcinoma. Helicobacter pylori strains are genetically variable, and some contain a DNA region called the cytotoxin associated gene pathogenicity island (cagPAI) that encodes virulence factors. Gastrointestinal disease associated with H. pylori are more likely to occur in infections with cagPAI positive strains. Helicobacter pylori has few known transcriptional regulators, but still must regulate expression to survive a constantly changing environment. A mechanism to facilitate this regulation was revealed in a transcriptome analysis conducted by Sharma et al. (2010) …
Characterization Of Helicobacter Pylori Srnas Hpnc2525, Hpnc2600, And Hpnc2645,
2020
Eastern Washington University
Characterization Of Helicobacter Pylori Srnas Hpnc2525, Hpnc2600, And Hpnc2645, Brandon M. Flatgard
EWU Masters Thesis Collection
Helicobacter pylori is a common microaerophilic gram-negative bacterium that infects approximately 50% of the human population. Although all H. pylori infections result in inflammation of the gastric epithelium, only 10-15% of infections are symptomatic and progress to severe gastric diseases such as gastric and duodenal ulcers, MALT lymphoma and gastric cancer. Different disease outcomes are due in part to genetic variations among H. pylori strains. Helicobacter pylori strains with a genomic region called the cytotoxin-associated pathogenicity island (cagPAI) are associated with an increased risk of severe disease. The cagPAI region encodes a type IV secretion system that transports the CagA …
Genomic And Culturomic Analysis Of Gut Microbiota Function And Salmonella Enterica Expansion,
2020
South Dakota State University
Genomic And Culturomic Analysis Of Gut Microbiota Function And Salmonella Enterica Expansion, Gavin Fenske
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Enteric bacteria that are resident in the hindgut of mammals are critical in immune development, digestion, and colonization resistance against pathogens. One of the major pathogens that gut commensals provide resistance against is Salmonella enterica, a major foodborne pathogen capable of infecting almost every warm-blooded animal. Given the interplay between pathogens and commensals in the gut lumen, the gut microbiota of pigs was studied by combining two disparate techniques: shotgun metagenomics and high throughput culturomics. Metagenomics readily identifies major taxa present in samples and can give an estimation to total genetic catalogue from an environment. However, many rare or …
Interaction Of Streptomyces Closely Associated With Bacillus In Nitrogen-Limiting Conditions,
2020
South Dakota State University
Interaction Of Streptomyces Closely Associated With Bacillus In Nitrogen-Limiting Conditions, Aminya Baniya
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Biological Nitrogen Fixation is the process of conversion of atmospheric dinitrogen into ammonia which is performed by symbiotic as well as free-living diazotrophic bacteria. A previous project to isolate free-living nitrogen fixing bacteria from a natural prairie yielded Streptomyces which grew on nitrogen free medium. Genome sequencing of three isolates revealed the presence of a second 16S rRNA gene sequence aligning with Bacillus, however repeated streaking only yielded Streptomyces colonies. The aim of this research was to characterize the interaction of three Streptomyces isolates that grow under nitrogen-free conditions, and appeared to be associated with Bacillus. The separation of Bacillus …
The Antimicrobial Activity Of Silicon Copper Nanoparticles,
2020
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
The Antimicrobial Activity Of Silicon Copper Nanoparticles, Angela Mangano
Sustainability Research & Creative Activities Grants Reports
Excessive overuse of antibiotics has led to the emergence of mutations within bacteria that result in drug resistance. In an effort to combat the expanding issue of drug resistance, nanoparticles' bactericidal capabilities are being researched as an alternative to antibiotics (Beyth, 2015). In this paper, research to explore a novel silicon copper nanoparticle's antimicrobial capabilities will be discussed. The novel nanoparticle was developed by West Chester University professor, Dr. Kolasinski. The specific research goals were to determine the time and dose dependency of the nanoparticles and investigate the antimicrobial spectrum of activity against Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, and viruses. Gram-positive …
Evaluation Of Rhodococcus Equi Susceptibility To Silver Nanoparticle Antimicrobials,
2020
University of Kentucky
Evaluation Of Rhodococcus Equi Susceptibility To Silver Nanoparticle Antimicrobials, Elizabeth Boudaher
Theses and Dissertations--Veterinary Science
Rhodococcus equi is a significant cause of pneumonia in foals and immunocompromised humans. Antimicrobial resistance among R. equi isolates has developed as a consequence of inappropriate stewardship and bacterial evolution, leading to an increased rate of treatment failures that typically result in foal fatality. In the current study, we evaluated the efficacy of antimicrobial silver nanoparticle (AgNP) complexes in controlling R. equi growth. Previous studies characterizing AgNP-induced antibacterial effects in other Gram-positive pathogens led us to hypothesize that silver nanoparticle antimicrobials impact R. equi viability and intracellular replication. We therefore investigated the effect of silver nanoparticle complexes on R. equi …
