Microbiology Commons^™

A Summary Of Three Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Studies Of Plaster Creek, Yeaeun Lee, David P. Warners

Faculty and Professional Research

No abstract provided.

Nine Year Assessment Of Soil Treatment On Aguacatillo (Nectandontisii And Ocotea Austinii, Lauraceae) Seedling Success In The Restoration Of A Costa Rican Cloud Forestra Cufo, Sheila Devries, David Warners

Faculty and Professional Research

We tracked seedling growth of two species of aguacatillo (Nectandra cufodontisii (O. C. Schmidt) C. K. Allen and Ocotea austinii C. K. Allen) that were planted into an early successional cloud forest hillside in San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica over nine years. Seedlings were collected from underneath nearby mother trees and transplanted into one of three soil treatments: indigenous soil; a 50:50 mixture of horse manure and indigenous soil; and a 50:50 mixture of kitchen compost and indigenous soil. After seedlings were transplanted they were measured and each specific location was evaluated for light exposure. Two months later seedlings …

Investigating The Persistence And "Naturalization" Potential Of Salmonella In Non-Host Environments Using Culture-Based And Molecular-Based Fingerprinting Techniques, Robyn L. Morrison

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Recent studies suggest the potential exists for enteric microorganisms to become “naturalized” to the complex natural environment through maintenance of their populations via replication and adaptation to the stress imposed by their external surroundings. The aim of this research was to better understand the potential for antimicrobial resistant (AMR) Salmonella to become “naturalized” and the physiological adaptations that allow for non-host survivability as reflected by AMR and community profiling. To better elucidate the prominent factors leading to a “naturalized” condition, two approaches were taken: 1) survey-based field research to gain perspective on the prevalence of AMR Salmonella isolated from variously …

Characterizing Dsrna Production In Virus-Infected Fish Cells, Amal Brek Aloufi

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Viral dsRNA is produced by almost all viruses sometime during their replicative cycle. These viral nucleic acids are potent inducers of both innate and adaptive immune responses, and are therefore considered important immuno-modulators. Previous studies have shown that viruses produce dsRNA when replicating in mammalian cells; however, to date no one has demonstrated viral dsRNA production in virus infected fish cells. Therefore, the goal of this study is to investigate dsRNA production by fish viruses in fish cells, verifying production and performing initial characterization of the dsRNA molecules being produced. Three different rainbow trout cell lines were used in this …

Identification And Ss-Lactam Resistance In Aquatic Isolates Of Enterobacter Cloacae And Their Status In Microbiota Of Domica Cave In Slovak Karst (Slovakia), Barbora Gaalova, Alena Donauerova, Milan Seman, Helena Bujdakova

International Journal of Speleology

Domica Cave is located in the Slovak Karst National Park in southern Slovakia. Heterotrophic cultivable psychrophilic and mesophilic microbiota were confirmed to be prevalent in this cave. Escherichia coli was the most abundant bacterium, followed by Enterobacter species and Serrratia species. Enterobacter cloacae isolates belong to the group of faecal contaminants (coliforms) of concern in water. Their status in cave ecosystem is questionable, but we observed E. cloacae in water samples all years round suggesting an autochthonous origin. We were concerned with possible contamination of the cave water with resistant E. cloacae from animal farms located 2-3 km from the …

The Innate Antiviral Effects Of Extracellular Viral Dsrna In Rainbow Trout Cells, Sarah J. Poynter

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Viral double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules are a potent pathogen-associated molecular pattern and play a crucial role in the innate immune response. During a viral infection, extracellular and intracellular dsRNA can initiate pathways resulting in the production of type I interferons (IFNs) and interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). The accumulation of ISGs within a cell results in a protective antiviral state. This study used both commercially available dsRNA (poly I:C) and in vitro transcribed dsRNA molecules, based on the viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) genome sequence, as stimuli to investigate the effects of these molecules on the innate immune response in rainbow trout …

Inflammatory Cytokine Gene Expression In Mesenteric Adipose Tissue During Acute Experimental Colitis, William Conan Mustain, Marlene E. Starr, Joseph Daniel Valentino, Donald A. Cohen, Daiki Okamura, Chi Wang, B. Mark Evers, Hiroshi Saito

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Production of inflammatory cytokines by mesenteric adipose tissue (MAT) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Animal models of colitis have demonstrated inflammatory changes within MAT, but it is unclear if these changes occur in isolation or as part of a systemic adipose tissue response. It is also unknown what cell types are responsible for cytokine production within MAT. The present study was designed to determine whether cytokine production by MAT during experimental colitis is depot-specific, and also to identify the source of cytokine production within MAT.

METHODS: Experimental colitis was induced in 6-month-old C57BL/6 …

Comparative Genomics And Functional Analysis Of Rhamnose Catabolic Pathways And Regulons In Bacteria, Irina A. Rodionova, Xiaoqing Li, Vera Thiel, Sergey Stolyar, Krista Stanton, James K. Fredrickson, Donald A. Bryant, Andrei L. Osterman, Aaron A. Best, Dmitry A. Rodionov

Faculty Publications

L-rhamnose (Rha) is a deoxy-hexose sugar commonly found in nature. L-Rha catabolic pathways were previously characterized in various bacteria including Escherichia coli. Nevertheless, homology searches failed to recognize all the genes for the complete L Rha utilization pathways in diverse microbial species involved in biomass decomposition. Moreover, the regulatory mechanisms of L-Rha catabolism have remained unclear in most species. A comparative genomics approach was used to reconstruct the L-Rha catabolic pathways and transcriptional regulons in the phyla Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Thermotogae. The reconstructed pathways include multiple novel enzymes and transporters involved in the utilization of L-Rha and …

Nutrient Limitation In Three Lowland Tropical Forests In Southern China Receiving High Nitrogen Deposition: Insights From Fine Root Responses To Nutrient Additions, Feifei Zhu, Muneoki Yoh, Frank S. Gilliam, Xiankai Lu, Jiangming Mo

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Elevated nitrogen (N) deposition to tropical forests may accelerate ecosystem phosphorus (P) limitation. This study examined responses of fine root biomass, nutrient concentrations, and acid phosphatase activity (APA) of bulk soil to five years of N and P additions in one old-growth and two younger lowland tropical forests in southern China. The old-growth forest had higher N capital than the two younger forests from long-term N accumulation. From February 2007 to July 2012, four experimental treatments were established at the following levels: Control, N-addition (150 kg N ha^–1 yr^–1), P-addition (150 kg P ha^–1 yr^{–1 …}

Divergent Antibody Subclass And Specificity Profiles But Not Protective Hla-B Alleles Are Associated With Variable Antibody Effector Function Among Hiv-1 Controllers, Jennifer I. Lai, Anna F. Licht, Anne-Sophie Dugast, Todd Suscovich, Ickwon Choi, Chris Bailey-Kellogg, Galit Alter, Margaret E. Ackerman

Dartmouth Scholarship

Understanding the coordination between humoral and cellular immune responses may be the key to developing protective vaccines, and because genetic studies of long-term HIV-1 nonprogressors have associated specific HLA-B alleles with spontaneous control of viral replication, this subject group presents an opportunity to investigate relationships between arms of the adaptive immune system. Given evidence suggesting that cellular immunity may play a role in viral suppression, we sought to determine whether and how the humoral immune response might vary among controllers. Significantly, Fc-mediated antibody effector functions have likewise been associated with durable viral control. In this study, we compared the effector …

Novel Thermophilic Bacteria Isolated From Marine Hydrothermal Vents, Christine Demko Sislak

Dissertations and Theses

As part of a large study aimed at searching for patterns of diversity in the genus Persephonella along the north to south geochemical gradient of the ELSC, ten novel strains of Alphaproteobacteria were isolated unexpectedly. Using defined media under microaerophilic conditions to enrich for Persephonella from chimney samples collected at the seven vent fields on the ELSC and the dilution to extinction by serial dilution method to purify cultures, a total of ten strains belonging to the Alphaproteobacteria were isolated. Two of these isolates, designate MN-5 and TC-2 were chosen for further characterization and are proposed as two new species …

Identification Of The Binding Partners For Hspb2 And Cryab Reveals Myofibril And Mitochondrial Protein Interactions And Non-Redundant Roles For Small Heat Shock Proteins, Kelsey Murphey Langston

Theses and Dissertations

Small Heat Shock Proteins (sHSP) are molecular chaperones that play protective roles in cell survival and have been shown to possess chaperone activity. As such, mutations in this family of proteins result in a wide variety of diseases from cancers to cardiomyopathies. The sHSPs Beta-2 (HspB2) and alpha-beta crystalline (CryAB) are two of the ten human sHSPs and are both expressed in cardiac and skeletal muscle cells. A heart that cannot properly recover or defend against stressors such as extreme heat or cold, oxidative/reductive stress, and heavy metal-induced stress will constantly struggle to maintain efficient function. Accordingly, CryAB is required …

Use Of Irf-3 And/Or Irf-7 Knockout Mice To Study Viral Pathogenesis: Lessons From A Murine Retrovirus-Induced Aids Model, Megan A. O'Connor, William R. Green

Dartmouth Scholarship

Interferon regulatory factor (IRF) regulation of the type I interferon response has not been extensively explored in murine retroviral infections. IRF-3(-/-) and select IRF-3/7(-/-) mice were resistant to LP-BM5-induced pathogenesis. However, further analyses strongly suggested that resistance could be attributed to strain 129-specific contamination of the known retrovirus resistance gene Fv1. Therefore, caution should be taken when interpreting phenotypes observed in these knockout mice, as strain 129-derived genetic polymorphisms may explain observed differences.

Respon Tanaman Kelapa Sawit Terhadap Bakteri Pelarut Fosfat Dan Bakteri Penambat Nitrogen Di Pembibitan Awal (Pre Nursery), Intan Ratna Dewi Anjarsari, Mochamad Arief Soleh, Erni Suminar

Jurnal Kultivasi

The objective of this experiment was to study response of oil palm seedlings in prenursery to Phosfat solubilizing bacteria and nitogen fixaxing bacteria. This experiment was conducted at experimental field, Jatinangor, KabupatenSumedang from April until October 2012. Experimental field located at altitude 753 m above sea level with rainfall C type according to the classification of Schmidt and Fergusson. Experimental design was the simple pattern of Randomized Design Group (RDG), consisting of twelve treatment and repeated three times. The treatment were Without inoculation; Azotobacter 20 mL/plant; BPF 20 mL/plant; 10 mL/plant BPF + 10 ml/plant Azotobacter; 10 mL/plant BPF + …

Pengaruh Berbagai Dosis Pupuk Kandang Sapi Dan Pupuk Hayati Terhadap Pertumbuhan Dan Hasil Kacang Hijau (Vigna Radiata L.) Varietas Sriti Pada Inceptisols Jatinangor, Agus Wahyudin, Tati Nurmala, Intan Rachma Yulia

Jurnal Kultivasi

The objective of the experiment was to determine the dosage of cow manure and biofertilizer on the growth and yield of mungbean (Vigna radiata L.). The experiment was conducted from June until August 2013 at the Experimental Station of the Agricultural Faculty, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, West Java. This experimental station located at 813 meters above sea level with Inceptisols soils and C3 climate type of Oldeman.A randomized block design (RBD) was used in this experiment with nine treatments and three replications. The several treatment was applied namely: (A) without cow manure + biofertilizer; (B) 5 t ha-1cow manure; (C) 5 …

The Glycine And Proline Reductase Systems: An Evolutionary Perspective And Presence In Enterobacteriaceae, Joshua Witt

HIM 1990-2015

The Glycine and Proline Reduction systems are two of the best characterized selenoenzymes in bacteria and have been found to occur in a wide variety of clostridia [1-5]. These enzymes are utilized to reduce glycine or D-proline to obtain energy via substrate level phosporylation or membrane gradients, respectively [6, 7]. This includes the pathogens C. difficile and C. botulinum [5, 8]. Strains of C. difficile are activate toxigenic pathways whenever either of these pathways is active within the cell [5, 8]. Though evolutionary studies have been conducted on ammonia producing bacteria [9] none has been done to directly characterize these …

Proximity-Labeling Of Near Neighbors Of Lamin A And Lamin A-Δ50 (Progerin)., Mohammad Sabri

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In an attempt to isolate and identify proteins that differentially interact with or locate near lamin A and progerin, we used a previously described method named BioID (proximity-dependent biotin identification). This method is based on fusion of a promiscuous E. coli biotin-protein ligase (BL) to a targeting protein (in this study, lamin A-GFP and progerin-GFP). The biotin ligase biotinylates amino residues in proteins that are near-neighbors of the fusion protein. To create the fusion proteins, BL was sub-cloned from a pcDNA3.1 MCS-BirA(R118G)-HA plasmid donated by Kyle Roux from University of South Dakota. The BL fragment was ligated into a pNEBR-X1-lamin …

An Argument And Plan For Promoting The Teaching And Learning Of Neglected Tropical Diseases, Kevin M. Bonney

Publications and Research

Neglected tropical diseases constitute a significant public health burden, affecting over one billion people globally, yet this group of diseases is underrepresented in the appropriation of both monetary and intellectual capital for developing improved therapies and public health campaigns. The topic of neglected tropical diseases has been similarly marginalized in the biology classrooms of our nation’s high schools and colleges, despite offering an opportunity to teach and learn about a diverse area of microbiology with far-reaching public health, social, and economic implications. Discussed herein is an argument for increasing the representation of neglected tropical diseases in microbiology education as a …

Electrotransfer Of Single-Stranded Or Double-Stranded Dna Induces Complete Regression Of Palpable B16.F10 Mouse Melanomas, Loree Heller, Vesba Todorovic, Maja Cemazar

Bioelectrics Publications

Enhanced tumor delivery of plasmid DNA with electric pulses in vivo has been confirmed in many preclinical models. Intratumor electrotransfer of plasmids encoding therapeutic molecules has reached Phase II clinical trials. In multiple preclinical studies, a reduction in tumor growth, increased survival or complete tumor regression have been observed in control groups in which vector or backbone plasmid DNA electrotransfer was performed. This study explores factors that could produce this antitumor effect. The specific electrotransfer pulse protocol employed significantly potentiated the regression. Tumor regression was observed after delivery of single-stranded or double-stranded DNA with or without CpG motifs in both …

The Influence Of Hydrogeomorphology, Soil Redox Conditions, And Salinity On The Spatial Zoning Of Saltgrass, Salt Rush, And Cattails In Scotts Creek Marsh, Swanton Pacific Ranch, Ca, Mark D. Gormley

Master's Theses

Scotts Creek Marsh (SCM) is a small coastal wetland ecosystem in Davenport, CA. The vegetation of SCM is dominated by three halophytic zones comprised of saltgrass, salt rush, cattails. The objectives of the study were (i) to investigate the variables that influence the zoning of the three dominant halophyte communities in SCM and (ii) to the test the effectiveness of Indicator of Reduction in Soil (IRIS) tubes to indicate the reduction of S. The study examined the following parameters from April 6 to July 21, 2013: (i) the HGM of Scotts Creek Marsh, (ii) soil oxidation and reduction (redox) conditions, …