Pathogenic Microbiology Commons^™

Dissecting The Role Of Actin-Myosin Motor And Calcium – Based Organelle Secretion In Motility Of Sarcocystis Neurona, Parul Suri

Theses and Dissertations--Veterinary Science

Sarcocystis neurona is a protozoan parasite that causes a rare neurological disorder in horses called Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM). Apicomplexa use actin-myosin based motor and organelle secretion to interact with the host cell and invade it. Despite the importance of motility and invasion-needed factors, the mechanisms by which S. neurona employs host cell association strategies to interact remains largely undefined. To address this knowledge gap, we hypothesize that just like other Apicomplexa, S. neurona utilizes actin polymerization for substrate-dependent gliding. Moreover, we also hypothesize that micronemes of S. neurona secrete proteins that are calcium-dependent. Based on previous studies in T. …

Elucidation Of Novel And Established Campylobacter Species With Clinical And Agricultural Significance Through Phenotypic, Genotypic, And Taxonomic Investigation, Caoimhe Lynch

Theses

Campylobacter spp. are well-established human, veterinary and economic pathogens, with a broad host range spanning from terrestrial and marine mammalian, avian and reptilian hosts. The scope of the study includes novel and notorious species within the genus, with reference to zoonotic agents Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli - the leading cause of human bacterial gastroenteritis in the EU and Ireland, Campylobacter fetus that represents the most common campylobacter causing bacteraemia and two novel species isolated from pigs not described in the literature previously. C. jejuni and C. coli isolates (n = 350) recovered from broiler caecal and neck skin samples, …

Investigating Public Support For Biosecurity Measures To Mitigate Pathogen Transmission Through The Herpetological Trade, Elizabeth F. Pienaar, Diane J. Episcopio-Sturgeon, Zachary T. Steele

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The expanding global trade in herpetofauna has contributed to new infectious disease dynamics and pathways that allow for the rapid spread of pathogens geographically. Improved biosecurity is needed to mitigate adverse biodiversity, economic and human health impacts associated with pathogen transmission through the herpetological trade. However, general lack of knowledge of the pathogen transmission risks associated with the global trade in herpetofauna and public opposition to biosecurity measures are critical obstacles to successfully preventing pathogen transmission. In 2019 we administered a survey to 2,007 members of the public in the United States of America to ascertain their support for interventions …

A Multidisciplinary Characterization Of The Enzymology And Biology Of Reversible Glucan Phosphorylation In Toxoplasma Gondii , Robert Murphy

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic, protozoan parasite of all warm-blooded animals, infecting roughly one-third of humans worldwide. Humans acquire infections by consuming T. gondii tissue cysts in undercooked meat or from oocysts shed in cat feces. Encysted parasites convert into rapidly growing tachyzoites that disseminate throughout the body, defining the acute phase of infection. Under host immune pressure, tachyzoites convert into bradyzoites that populate tissue cysts found in CNS or muscle tissue and persist for the lifetime of the host, defining the chronic phase of infection. Tissue cysts are responsible for transmission via carnivory, but also possess the ability to …

Evaluate The Efficacy Of A Mixture Of Peroxyacetic Acid And H2o2 Against The Survival And Cross-Contamination Of The Salmonella Surrogate Enterococcus Faecium On Tomatoes During Triple-Wash, Corey Waitman Coe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Triple-wash with a mixture of peroxyacetic acid and H2O2 (SaniDate-5.0) during post-harvest processing of fresh produce has been recommended by West Virginia Small Farm Center to improve microbial safety. It has been well recognized that the washing of produce is more important for preventing cross-contamination than reducing foodborne pathogens. Furthermore, it may help improve public confidence in that the produce they obtain from locally grown farmers is safe for their consumption. determine the efficacy of SaniDate-5.0 for reducing the survival and preventing cross-contamination of the Salmonella surrogate Enterococcus faecium on tomatoes during triple-wash.

E. faecium ATCC-8459 (resistant to 100-ppm nalidixic-acid) …

An Investigation Into The Prevalence Of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci Within An Irish Hospital, Dylan Casey

International Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are well-recognised nosocomial pathogens that pose a significant threat to public health. Associated with poorer clinical outcomes than their vancomycin-sensitive counterparts, the prevalence of VRE in Ireland has increased in recent times, with the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network reporting that out of 29 countries, Ireland demonstrated the highest rates of vancomycin resistance among invasive Enterococcus faecium isolates between 2011 and 2014 (2011; 34.9%, 2012; 44.0%, 2013; 42.7%, 2014; 45.1%). Herein, we investigate VRE prevalence in the Mercy University Hospital (MUH) – an acute care hospital in southern Ireland. A total of 21 first-time VRE infections were …

Farnesol Secretion As A Possible Driving Force For Maintaining Candida Albicans As A Diploid, Kenneth Nickerson, Cory Boone, Kory Parker

Kenneth Nickerson Papers

Candida albicans is a pathogenic dimorphic fungus which is invariably found as a diploid in patients. C. albicans secretes the sesquiterpene farnesol both as a quorum sensing molecule which blocks the yeast to hypha conversion and as a virulence factor for pathogenicity. 20-25 μM farnesol kills other competing yeasts and fungi, often by triggering apoptosis, and yet wild type diploid C. albicans tolerates 300-500 μM farnesol. The recent availability of 10 haploid strains of C. albicans (5 mating type aand 5 mating type α) allowed us to compare their production of and sensitivity to farnesol. On average, the heterozygous diploid …

Evaluating The Effects Of Pine And Miscanthus Biochar On Water Activity And Escherichia Coli Populations In Commercial Broiler Litter, Christopher Austin Marty

Theses and Dissertations

The decrease in subtherapeutic antibiotic administration in poultry has increased the need to address production challenges caused by pathogens, such as E. coli. One potential way to improve bird health and reduce bacterial infection is through the addition of litter amendments that absorb moisture. Biochar (BC) has previously been shown to increase water holding capacity in poultry litter, but its effects on E. coli mitigation are unknown. The objectives of this research were to 1) evaluate water activity of poultry litter amended with pine and miscanthus BC, and 2) determine the effects of different BC inclusion rates on litter …

The Role Of A-Layer In Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (Pufa)-Mediated Effects On Aeromonas Salmonicida Subsp. Salmonicida, Allen Lin

Honors Theses

Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida is a Gram-negative bacterium that infects salmonids and non-salmonids worldwide leading to an infection known as furunculosis, which is characterized by skin lesions and hemorrhages of the fish epidermis. This infection is carried out by a A+ (virulent strain) of A. salmonicida containing an important virulent factor known as the A-layer, which is a 2D paracrystalline structure that binds to the basement membrane and functions to promote adherence to host membranes and resistance to host defense. The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of the A+ A. salmonicida to incorporate exogenous fatty acids …

Enzymatic Degradation Of Microcystin-Lr By Microcystinase (Mlra), Faisal Alqhtani

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is affecting the water supply worldwide. Hence, a way to eliminate this toxin is an essential target. In this study, successful cloning of the mlrA gene and producing MlrA enzyme that can degrade the cyclic MC-LR to linearized MC-LR was done. MlrA protein was expressed in Escherichia coli BL-21 (E. coli). Also, enhancing the MlrA yield by adding nickel to LB media was a success in producing more MlrA enzyme from the same volume. Even though the enzyme showed no activity after adding Ni, the enzyme was expressed at a higher yield. Furthermore, it was to investigate adding …

An Outbreak Of Canine Schistosomiasis In Utah Acquisition Of A New Snail Host (Galba Humilis) By Heterobilharzia Americana, A Pathogenic Parasite On The Move, Eric S. Loker, Scott Z. Dolginow, Suzanne Pape, Colin D. Topper, Randall J. Dejong

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Parasites with complex life cycles engaging multiple host species living among different environments well-exemplify the value of a cross-cutting One Health approach to understanding fundamental concerns like disease emergence or spread. Here we provide new information regarding a pathogenic schistosome trematode parasite of both wild and domestic mammals that has recently expanded its known range from mesic/wet environments of the southeastern United States to the arid southwest. In 2018, 12 dogs living near a man-made pond in Moab, Utah, were found positive for Heterobilharzia americana, the most westerly report of this endemic North American schistosome, and the first from Utah. …

Genital Chlamydia Infection Is Influenced By The Female Sex Hormones Estrogen And Progesterone In Vivo, Amy Gail Gravitte

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chlamydia is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the United States and worldwide. It often goes unnoticed due to lack of symptoms and left untreated it can ascend the female genital tract to cause sequelae like pelvic inflammatory disease and irreversible tubal infertility. In reproductive-aged women, female sex hormones estrogen (E2) and progesterone (P4) concentrations fluctuate during the menstrual cycle and are influenced by hormonal contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy. E2 and P4 influence genital Chlamydia infection in women and mice, but these multifactorial interactions are not entirely mapped out. The complex interplay of E2 and P4 with …

Lyme Arthritis: A Primer For Primary Care, Ganesh Arun, Farhan Ali, Sowmya Srinivas, Justin Nistico, Pranav Nair

Advances in Clinical Medical Research and Healthcare Delivery

Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria belonging to the Borreliaceae family. Wooded forests and terrains are affected, including those in the Northeastern United States. Teenage ticks are most commonly discovered on humans as those ticks need to satisfy their nutritional requirements for growth. They bite warm, moist areas of the body and take 24 to 48 hours to transmit the Borrelia Burgdorferi infection. Lyme disease manifests as a multisystem disorder in humans, and is known for its dermatological, neurological and rheumatological findings. For the primary care provider, Lyme disease should be on the differential in multisystem diseases. Our case …

A Nosy Neighbor: Purification And Functional Characterization Of Lpg2149, Ashley M. Holahan

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

Ubiquitination is a process that marks proteins for various cell-signaling pathways, namely protein degradation and other processes. Th ese pathways are essential in a wide array of cellular processes, including defense mechanisms against invading pathogens. Th e ubiquitination process is universally found in all eukaryotic organisms, including plants and animals, and thus plays a vital role in cellular homeostasis. Recently, more discoveries have been made on prokaryotic effector proteins that hijack the ubiquitination system even when they do not possess a ubiquitin system of their own. MavC, also known as lpg2147 (Gan, Nakayasu, Hollenbeck, & Luo, 2019; Puvar et al., …

The Sterilization Of Escherichia Coli With Black Diamond-Coated Silicon, Sarah M. Cawthon, Jesse L. Rozsa, Mark P. Running

The Cardinal Edge

In order to combat increasing levels of antimicrobial resistance, new antimicrobials are needed to successfully kill microbes. Silicon coated in black diamond is a material that is hypothesized to have antimicrobial properties. To test this hypothesis, Escherichia coli cells were placed on different black diamond-coated silicon surfaces and allowed to rest on each surface for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and 1 hour. Cells were collected, and growth was assessed by counting colonies on plates or spectrophotometry growth curves. The results of this study indicated that the experimental samples have some antimicrobial or growth inhibition properties, but they may not be …

Editorial: Pathogens, Pathobionts, And Autoimmunity, Linda A. Spatz, Gregg J. Silverman, Judith A. James

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Mara Repression Of Virulence Gene Hila In Salmonella, Alexandra King, Lauren Daugherty, Lon Chubiz Phd

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Salmonella is a bacteria most commonly known for causing the eponymous food-related illness. Due to their rapid reproduction rate and their ability to be propogated and maintained in a lab setting, they are commonly used in lab studies so that we can better understand how Salmonella causes disease in organisms that are more difficult to study. One area of interest is analyzing how Salmonella controls expression of the mechanisms that actually cause disease, called virulence traits, in response to the environment. In this study, antibiotic stress was used to analyze virulence gene expression. MarA is a gene that regulates ampicillin …

Assesment Of Antibiotic Resistant Gene Expression In Clinical Isolates Of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Dustin Esmond

Biology Theses

Increasing prevalence of nosocomial infections by antimicrobial resistant pathogens resulting in higher mortality rates and financial burden is of great concern. Pseudomonas aeruginosa represents one of six highly virulent “ESKAPE” pathogens that exhibit considerable intrinsic drug resistance as well as mechanisms for acquiring further resistance. As many of these mechanisms are regulated through gene expression, we sought to identify regulatory strategies and patterns at play in 23 clinical isolates collected from Baku, Azerbaijan and Tyler, Texas, USA. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed on six gene targets implicated in resistance and contrasted with antibiotic phenotypes. We found AmpC cephalosporinase …

Oxydifficidin-Producing Bacillus Presents Novel Antimicrobial Activity Against Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Involving The Deda Protein, Jingbo Kan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Bacterial human pathogens cause severe infectious diseases which are the second most common cause of death next to cancer and cardiovascular diseases in the world, especially in developing countries. Gonorrhea particularly, is the second most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) which is caused by the microorganism Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 1.6 million new gonorrhea cases emerged in USA in 2018 (“Detailed STD Facts - Gonorrhea” n.d.). Also, the WHO (World Health Organization) shows that gonorrhea is the most antibiotic resistant STI (“PAHO/WHO | Gonorrhea” n.d.), highlighting the shortage of efficient …

Examining Effects Of The Dna Regulator Lrp On Quorum Sensing Gene Expression In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Bradley Lumsden

Symposium of Student Scholars

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen that has the capacity to express multiple virulence factors that are regulated through an extensive quorum sensing network. Three major quorum sensing systems have been identified in Pseudomonas species: the acyl homoserine lactones of las and rhl, and the Pseudomonas Quinolone Signal (PQS). We seek to investigate the involvement of a global regulator, Lrp with the expression of these three networks. Specifically, we will compare expression levels of las, rhl, and pqs in wild type P. aeruginosa (MPAO1) with an lrp transposon insertion mutant using quantitative PCR. Through this comparative …