Microbiology Commons^™

Identification Of Microbiota Associated With The Ectosymbiotic Community Structure Of The Appalachian Brook Crayfish (Cambarus Bartonii), Matthew M. Cooke 6268927, Luke T. Fischer, Taylor Griffin, Sherrie Jeffers

Montview Journal of Research & Scholarship

Microbes play a significant role in ecosystems, effecting the vital functions of other organisms, interspecies relationships, and population sizes. Based upon previous research (Skelton et al., 2016), it has been hypothesized that crayfish symbionts (branchiobdellidans) play a significant role in regulating the amount of microbiota associated with the host. A growing body of knowledge is known regarding both the condition of gill fouling and the annelid worm’s symbiotic relationship with the crayfish (Skelton et al., 2016; Skelton et al., 2016). However, there is little to no evidence available concerning the bacteria’s role in the process (Skelton et al., 2016). Microbial …

Development Of A Reliable Method To Express And Purify Vaccinia Virus Transcription Factors A7 And D6 In Bacteria, Younghoon Park

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Poxvirus early genes code for viral products involved in host interaction, immune evasion, replication, and transcription of the viral genome. These viral early genes contain a unique and conserved promoter sequence that is recognized by early transcription factors (ETFs). The working hypothesis is pharmacologically targeting the structure of the poxvirus early promoters can inhibit transcription of poxvirus early genes. Our group has identified unique secondary structure which deviates from a scrambled control near the Vaccinia Virus (VACV) E9L promoter. Targeting these unique structures, which most likely may be G-quadruplexes, with structure specific ligands may distort local DNA structures at the …

Maxent Estimation Of Aquatic Escherichia Coli Stream Impairment, Dennis Gilfillan, Timothy Andrew Joyner, Phillip R. Scheuerman

ETSU Faculty Works

Background: The leading cause of surface water impairment in United States’ rivers and streams is pathogen contamination. Although use of fecal indicators has reduced human health risk, current approaches to identify and reduce exposure can be improved. One important knowledge gap within exposure assessment is characterization of complex fate and transport processes of fecal pollution. Novel modeling processes can inform watershed decision-making to improve exposure assessment.

Methods: We used the ecological model, Maxent, and the fecal indicator bacterium Escherichia coli to identify environmental factors associated with surface water impairment. Samples were collected August, November, February, and May for 8 …

Maxent Estimation Of Aquatic Escherichia Coli Stream Impairment, Dennis Gilfillan, Timothy A. Joyner, Phillip Scheuerman

ETSU Faculty Works

Background.The leading cause of surface water impairment in United States’ rivers and streams is pathogen contamination. Although use of fecal indicators has reduced human health risk, current approaches to identify and reduce exposure can be improved. One important knowledge gap within exposure assessment is characterization of complex fate and transport processes of fecal pollution. Novel modeling processes can inform watershed decision-making to improve exposure assessment.

Susceptibility Genes To Plant Viruses, Hernan Garcia-Ruiz

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Plant viruses use cellular factors and resources to replicate and move. Plants respond to viral infection by several mechanisms, including innate immunity, autophagy, and gene silencing, that viruses must evade or suppress. Thus, the establishment of infection is genetically determined by the availability of host factors necessary for virus replication and movement and by the balance between plant defense and viral suppression of defense responses. Host factors may have antiviral or proviral activities. Proviral factors condition susceptibility to viruses by participating in processes essential to the virus. Here, we review current advances in the identification and characterization of host factors …

Preservation Of Oncorhynchus Clarkii By Comparison Of Biomarkers, Chase Paulson, Dr. R. Paul Evans

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this project is to analyze biomarkers present in cutthroat and cutbow (a mixture of cutthroat and rainbow trout) trout of the Payson Hatchery compared to typical cutthroat and rainbow markers to better understand if cutthroat trout are being preserved locally and in the Western United States.

The Effect Of The Overexpression Of Irf% In B-Cells On Inflammatory And Co-Stimulatory Activity, Reika Takita, Brian Poole

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammatory tissue damage inflicted by the body's rogue immune system (1). Although treatment is available for the disease, the pathogenesis of SLE remains unclear (2). However, researchers suspect the disease to be associated with environmental, genetic, and hormonal factors (1).

Antibiotic Resistance In Staphylococcus Aureus From Commercially Available Meat, Samuel Schriever, Bradford Berges

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Bacteria can be found everywhere. While some bacteria can help humans to make medicine and clean up environmental disasters, other bacteria can cause horrible disease. After the discovery of antibiotics in the early twentieth century humans have been using them to treat human and animal disease. At first antibiotics very effective at clearing bacterial infections. Bacteria that were able to survive the antibiotics were able to spread and become more common. Bacteria have the ability to share genes and those genes are very favorable for the bacteria that have them. Today, animals are given more antibiotics than humans are. This …

Engineering A Cancer Specific 3rd Generation Car Immunotherapy, Josie Tueller, K. Scott Weber

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This project aimed to develop a cancer-specific immunotherapy that will target and destroy cancer cells without killing healthy cells. Current cancer treatments struggle to successfully target cancer cells and commonly target all rapidly dividing cells (both healthy and cancerous). Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) immunotherapy aims to harness T cells, the body’s natural defense system, to fight cancer by giving T cells via molecular engineering a non-native protein which targets cancer. We successfully produced a T cell that can effectively kill cancer cells while leaving normal cells untouched while minimizing the toxic side effects normally experienced by patients. Future steps involve …

Characterization Of The Protective Role Of Th17 Cells In An Fc Receptor-Targeted Vaccine Strategy Against Fracisella Tularensis Infection, Kyle Devenney

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Using a murine model, we have previously showed that targeting an inactivated form of F.tularensis (iFt) bacteria to Fcg receptors by utilizing an IgG2a, anti-LPS monoclonal antibody (mAb) provides 100% protection against a lethal dose with the live vaccine strain (LVS). The binding of anti-LPS monoclonal antibodies and iFt create an immune complex (mAb-iFt) allowing the Fc-region of the antibody to target Fc receptors expressed on antigen presenting cells, leading to a more robust and effective processing and presentation of the bacterial antigens. Although the resulting protective response generated relies on both humoral and cell-mediated immunity, in our study we …

Identification And Characterization Of Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria Associated With Kudzu Root Nodules, Chasity Lawless, Michelle Zedonek, Debbie Curtis, Jonda Scharringhausen, Jared Bryant, Wendy A. Dustman, Alexandra M. Kurtz, Bekah Ward Dr.

Georgia Journal of Science

Pueraria montana, better known as kudzu, is an invasive species rapidly spreading throughout the southeastern United States. This plant can form root nodules which house nitrogen-fixing bacteria, allowing atmospheric nitrogen to be converted into biologically available forms of nitrogen for use by the plant host. Given the centrality of these bacteria to the spread of kudzu, isolates from nodules were characterized after collection from seven different locations across the metropolitan Atlanta area. Twenty-five isolates were grown on two different variants of nitrogen free media. Four different carbon sources were evaluated as well. Finally, growth under both aerobic and anaerobic …

Association Of Essential Tremor And Parkinson’S Disease Development, Alexander Gosch, Mary David

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Essential tremor (ET) is a neurological disorder characterized by symmetrical tremor of the upper limbs. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a similar disorder, also characterized by tremor, with a few differences: ET tremor is mostly seen during action, while PD tremor is more prevalent while at rest. PD is characterized by problems with walking and balance, while ET is characterized primarily by tremor without balance problems. PD symptoms generally improve with the use of the drug levodopa while ET responds better to the drugs propranolol and primidone.

Examining How The Cd5 Co-Receptor Alters T Helper Cell Activation In Response To Bacterial Infection, Garrett Hamblin, Scott Weber

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Properly functioning helper T cells are crucial in a response to an infection. The adaptive immune response is orchestrated by T helper cells and their function is dependent upon interactions between the T cell receptor (TCR), peptide MHC (pMHC) and co-receptors. Upon TCR interaction with a foreign antigen, a calcium signaling cascade is initiated, which determines T cell activation, survival, proliferation and differentiation. CD5 is a T cell co-receptor that is a negative regulator of T cell activation. T cells with higher CD5 expression respond better to foreign antigen than those with lower CD5 expression. Cell-surface expression of CD5 is …

Control Of Biofilm Formation In Healthcare: Recent Advances Exploiting Quorum-Sensing Interference Strategies And Multidrug Efflux Pump Inhibitors, Bindu Subhadra, Dong Ho Kim, Kyungho Woo, Surya Surendran, Chul Hee Choi

Faculty Publications - Biological Sciences

Biofilm formation in healthcare is an issue of considerable concern, as it results in increased morbidity and mortality, imposing a significant financial burden on the healthcare system. Biofilms are highly resistant to conventional antimicrobial therapies and lead to persistent infections. Hence, there is a high demand for novel strategies other than conventional antibiotic therapies to control biofilm-based infections. There are two approaches which have been employed so far to control biofilm formation in healthcare settings: one is the development of biofilm inhibitors based on the understanding of the molecular mechanism of biofilm formation, and the other is to modify the …

Mechanisms Adopted By Dengue-2 Viruses To Induce Autophagy In Mammalian Cells, Sounak Ghosh Roy

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Dengue, the most rapidly spreading flavivirus, threatens to affect almost half of the human global population. We previously showed that dengue-2 protects canine kidney cells (MDCK) from cytotoxic chemicals. We showed, independently, that cell protection, as well as viral replication and maturation, are positively regulated by PI3K-dependent autophagy. However, we had not identified the specific pathway that induces autophagy in infected cells. The current study explores the role of a specific branch of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-mediated Unfolded Protein Response (UPR), the PERK/eIF2α/ATF4 pathway in the induction of autophagy by …

Investigation Of Biogeochemical Mechanisms Of Greenhouse Gas Production In The Urban Hudson River Estuary, Brian Alan Brigham

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Coastal megacities deposit significant amounts of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and other pollutants into surrounding waters. These inputs, including wastewater and surface water runoff, may affect estuarine and adjacent wetland biogeochemical cycles, microbial production and ultimately greenhouse gas (GHG) efflux. In many megacities pollutant loading is typically greatest after periods of precipitation when the volume of wastewater and storm water runoff exceeds local sanitation capacity, resulting in the discharge of raw sewage into adjacent waters. These combined sewage overflow (CSO) events have received considerable attention primarily due to their potential impact on human health and eutrophication. However, whether these events …

Microbiological And Clinical Profile Of Infective Endocarditis Patients: An Observational Study Experience From Tertiary Care Center Karachi Pakistan, Uzma Shahid, Hasanat Sharif, Joveria Farooqi, Bushra Jamil, E. Khan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background:
The study analyzed microbiological and antimicrobial susceptibility profile of organisms isolated from patients with infective endocarditis (2015–17) and compared disease outcomes in cohorts of endocarditis patient with history of prior invasive vascular intervention (high risk group) vs those without (native valve group). We hypothesized that high risk group would be more likely to have severe disease outcomes.
Methods:
This was a prospective cohort study (2015–17). All blood and cardiac tissue samples of enrolled patients suspected of endocarditis according to modified Duke’s criteria were followed for microbiological and antimicrobial susceptibility profile. The high risk group was compared with the native …

Congenital Zika Virus Infection In Immunocompetent Mice Causes Postnatal Growth Impediment And Neurobehavioral Deficits, Amber M. Paul, Dhiraj Acharya, Biswas Neupane, E. Ashley Thompson, Gabriel Gonzalez-Fernandez, Katherine M. Copeland

Publications

A small percentage of babies born to Zika virus (ZIKV)-infected mothers' manifest severe defects at birth, including microcephaly. Among those who appeared healthy at birth, there are increasing reports of postnatal growth or developmental defects. However, the impact of congenital ZIKV infection in postnatal development is poorly understood. Here, we report that a mild congenital ZIKV-infection in pups born to immunocompetent pregnant mice did not display apparent defects at birth, but manifested postnatal growth impediments and neurobehavioral deficits, which include reduced locomotor and cognitive deficits that persisted into adulthood. We found that the brains of these pups were smaller, had …

The Microbiome Of The Gastrointestinal Tract Of A Range-Shifting Marine Herbivorous Fish, Jacquelyn Jones, Joseph D. Dibattista, Michael Stat, Michael Bunce, Mary C. Boyce, David Fairclough, Michael J. Travers, Megan J. Huggett

Fisheries Research Articles

Globally, marine species’ distributions are being modified due to rising ocean temperatures. Increasing evidence suggests a circum-global pattern of poleward extensions in the distributions of many tropical herbivorous species, including the ecologically important rabbitfish Siganus fuscescens. Adaptability of a species to such new environments may be heavily influenced by the composition of their gastrointestinal microbe fauna, which is fundamentally important to animal health. Siganus fuscescens thus provides an opportunity to assess the stability of gastrointestinal microbes under varying environmental conditions. The gastrointestinal microbial communities of S. fuscescens were characterized over 2,000 km of Australia’s western coast, from tropical to …

Transcriptomic, Functional, And Network Analyses Reveal Novel Genes Involved In The Interaction Between Caenorhabditis Elegans And Stenotrophomonas Maltophilia, Corin V. White, Michael A. Herman

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The bacterivorous nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is an excellent model for the study of innate immune responses to a variety of bacterial pathogens, including the emerging nosocomial bacterial pathogen Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. The study of this interaction has ecological and medical relevance as S. maltophilia is found in association with C. elegans and other nematodes in the wild and is an emerging opportunistic bacterial pathogen. We identified 393 genes that were differentially expressed when exposed to virulent and avirulent strains of S.maltophilia and an avirulent strain of E. coli. We then used a probabilistic functional gene network model (WormNet) to determine …