Bacterial Infections and Mycoses Commons^™

The Role Of Intracellular Growth During The Systemic Spread Of Listeria Monocytogenes, Jamila S. Tucker

Theses and Dissertations--Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics

Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular pathogen transmitted through the consumption of contaminated food products. Typically, infections range from mild, self-limiting gastroenteritis to life-threatening systemic infections; however, the events that occur in the gut to allow for this spread are unclear.

The focus of my thesis aims to determine how L. monocytogenes escape the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), the final barrier to systemic spread for both commensal and pathogenic bacteria in the gut. I have shown that intracellular replication of L. monocytogenes in an as-yet-unidentified cell type is essential for the colonization and dissemination of the bacteria from the MLN. …

Contributions Of The Replication Initiator Protein Dnaa To Physiology And Virulence Of The Lyme Disease Spirochete, Andrew Krusenstjerna

Theses and Dissertations--Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics

Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiological agent of Lyme disease, is the most prevalent vector-borne disease in the United States. The spirochetal population is naturally maintained by consistently cycling between Ixodid ticks and small vertebrates. To survive within these diverse niches, B. burgdorferi has evolved a unique physiology and regulatory network to sense and respond to environmental fluxes. Replication is a hallmark of the Lyme spirochete’s enzootic life cycle, specifically at the nymphal tick-to-vertebrate interface. The mechanisms and regulatory schema for the basic cellular processes in B. burgdorferi, or indeed any member of the phylum spirochaetota, are largely unknown. The central hypothesis …

Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields Increase Antibiotic Susceptibility In Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Alexandra E. Chittams-Miles, Areej Malik, Erin B. Purcell, Claudia Muratori

Bioelectrics Publications

Staphylococcus aureus is the leading cause of skin and soft-tissue infections (SSTIs). SSTIs caused by bacteria resistant to antimicrobials, such as methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), are increasing in incidence and have led to higher rates of hospitalization. In this study, we measured MRSA inactivation by nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF), a promising new cell ablation technology. Our results show that treatment with 120 pulses of 600 ns duration (28 kV/cm, 1 Hz), caused modest inactivation, indicating cellular damage. We anticipated that the perturbation created by nsPEF could increase antibiotic efficacy if nsPEF were applied as a co-treatment. To test this …

Syphilis Presenting In The Axillary Lymph Node, Kevin Benny, Pooja Agrawal, Suimin Qui, Angelica Robinson

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Symposium 2024

No abstract provided.

Critical Airway Obstruction Secondary To Acute Necrotizing Tracheitis, Vishesh Persaud, Austin Makadia, S Choudhury, A Chohan, Abhay Vakil

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Symposium 2024

No abstract provided.

Clinical Impact Of Indeterminate Quantiferon-Tb Test Results For A Patient With Recurrent Inflammatory Bowel Disease Flares, Asad Rehman, Bushra Bangash, Aashka Patel, Anam Zara, Hong Thai, Ismail Hader

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Symposium 2024

No abstract provided.

Unusual Delayed Invasive Infection With Staphylococcus Capitis Following Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Case Report And Literature Review, Suhas Tatapudi, Daniel J. Avila Castillo, Ibrahim Yazji

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Symposium 2024

No abstract provided.

A Rare Case Of Infected Bronchogenic Cyst Growing Salmonella Enterica, Diane S. Habib, Jordan Torres, Salman Alim

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Symposium 2024

No abstract provided.

Novel Engineering Approaches For Orthopedic Injury Treatment And Infection Diagnosis, Cynthia Co

Bioengineering Dissertations - Archive

Bioengineering has made significant contributions to the treatment of orthopedic injury through interdisciplinary approaches. Central to these advancements are many orthopedic implants, including anchors and joint replacements, which have been designed to restore mobility. Despite their functional efficacy, these products have limited lifespan and are associated with many complications, such as implant-associated infection. The success of implant design and function, both in the short and long term, is paramount for enhancing patient outcomes and overall well-being. Therefore, my thesis work is dedicated to addressing these critical challenges, aiming to maximize their treatment effect while minimizing the implant-associated complications.

Long-term patient …

Advancing Clinical Bacterial Diagnosis: Gram-Stained Whole-Slide Image Classification With Attention-Based Deep Learning, Jack Mcmahon

Computer Science Senior Theses

We introduce a new method for the classification of Gram-stained WSIs. As a test for the diagnosis of blood infections, Gram stains are highly relevant to informing patient treatment. Rapid analysis of Gram stains has been shown to be positively associated with better clinical outcomes, indicating the need for better tools to aid in automatic Gram stain analysis. To date, this area of research has been underexplored, with previous studies relying on the manual patch-level annotation of WSIs to generate training data. This is the first application of a transformer-based model to Gram-stain WSI classification, an approach that is far …

Effectiveness Of Doxycycline As Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (Doxy-Pep) For Bacterial Sexually Transmitted Infections (Stis) Among Men Who Have Sex With Men (Msm) In Central Florida, Micah P. Greer

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs), notably syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, have been increasing among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States. The rise has been attributed to various factors, including increased condomless sexual acts due to the high uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention. To address this concerning trend, post-exposure prophylaxis with doxycycline (Doxy-PEP) has emerged as a potential biomedical intervention. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of Doxy-PEP in preventing bacterial STIs among MSM in Central Florida, a region with rising STI rates. A de-identified dataset from Pineapple Health Clinic in Orlando, …

Epitope Mapping Novel Monoclonal Antibodies Against Borrelia Burgdorferi Surface Proteins Ospc And Bmpa, Eliza M. Doyle

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In response to the progressive nature of Lyme disease, direct diagnostic testing of Borrelia burgdorferi surface proteins was proposed as a quicker and more sensitive alternative to the current indirect detection methods. To determine the ability of novel monoclonal antibodies to detect the surface lipoproteins BmpA and OspC, recombinant fragments of these proteins were created. These fragments were tested against the putative diagnostic antibodies via western blotting as a means to map the epitope of each of the proteins that the respective antibodies recognize. All BmpA fragments with deletions on the N-terminal end exhibited reactivity, indicating that the epitope is …

Disseminated Coccidioidomycosis Discovered Through Skin Biopsy In A Pregnant Patient From Mexico, Henry Lim, Christina Guo, Marshall Hall, Christian Scheufele, Christopher M. Wong, Michael Carletti, Stephen Weis

North Texas GME Research Forum 2024

Introduction: Coccidioidomycosis is an infection caused by the organism Coccidioides immitis, a fungus endemic to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central and South America. The presentation of coccidioidomycosis can range from symptoms resembling a simple upper respiratory infection, such as cough, to more severe systemic symptoms including fever, malaise, and chills. Cutaneous lesions of coccidioidomycosis demonstrate a large heterogeneity of clinical manifestations but are significant as they may be the presenting sign of disseminated disease. While usually confined to the lungs, extrapulmonary coccidioidomycosis can occur in about 1 in 200 patients, most commonly associated with immunocompromised status. Pregnancy is an …

Presentations Of Cutaneous Disease In Various Skin Pigmentations: Tinea Corporis, Navya Peddireddy, Braden Van Alfen, Christian Scheufele, Marshall Hall, Christopher M. Wong, Stephen Weis

North Texas GME Research Forum 2024

Introduction: Tinea corporis, a superficial fungal skin infection, typically manifests as pruritic annular erythematous scaly plaques with central clearing. This condition can involve every body region. Here we present tinea corporis across various skin pigmentations. The goal of this presentation is to highlight distinctions and similarities in light, medium, and dark skin tones, using the Fitzpatrick scale for stratification of skin types. We hope this can aid primary care clinicians in early recognition of this common condition. Case Presentation: We present a series of cases illustrating the diverse manifestations of tinea corporis across different Fitzpatrick skin types. In Figure 2, …

Salmonella Detection In Food Using A Hek-Htlr5 Reported Cell-Based Sensor, Esma Eser, Victoria A. Felton, Rishi Drolia, Arun K. Bhunia

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The development of a rapid, sensitive, specific method for detecting foodborne pathogens is paramount for supplying safe food to enhance public health safety. Despite the significant improvement in pathogen detection methods, key issues are still associated with rapid methods, such as distinguishing living cells from dead, the pathogenic potential or health risk of the analyte at the time of consumption, the detection limit, and the sample-to-result. Mammalian cell-based assays analyze pathogens’ interaction with host cells and are responsive only to live pathogens or active toxins. In this study, a human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cell line expressing Toll-Like Receptor 5 (TLR-5) …

Established Colonization Of Sneathia Vaginalis In A Mouse Model, Kailyn E. Turcios-Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

Sneathia vaginalis (Sv) is a gram-negative anaerobic bacterium associated with adverse reproductive outcomes. Sv can traverse the fetal membrane and damage epithelial cells in vitro by producing a pore-forming cytotoxin, cytopathogenic toxin A (CptA). To further understand the transition of Sv from normal flora to a pathogen, an animal in vivo model needs to be created to observe the preliminary ascending infection before we begin to study the effects on pregnancy. Experimentation was conducted to optimize mouse breed, bacteria administration methods, and other variables that arise when working in vivo. The C57BL/6 mouse strain displayed the most consistent …

Clostridioides Difficile: Identification Of Rival Organisms & Evaluation Of Non-Antibiotic Treatment Implementation, Justin Davis

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Clostrioides difficile is a common cause of nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections. Patients receiving antibiotic treatment experience dysbiosis of gut microbiota, and C. difficile, normally held in check by the various other organisms, takes this opportunity to propagate. Symptoms of infection generally include diarrhea, colitis, dehydration, and fever. Understanding that C. difficile generally only causes illness when it is the dominant bacterium (i.e. when growth is relatively unchecked by other microbes), it is appropriate to investigate potential competitive organisms that may be introduced after antibiotic courses or during active C. difficile infection to effectively displace it. Fecal samples from the University …

Examining How Non-Antifungal Medications Impact Host-Fungal Interactions, Parker Ryan Reitler

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are estimated to kill 1.5 million people each year with mortality rates remaining high (around 30-70%), despite the availability of three major classes of antifungal drugs. Furthermore, millions more suffer debilitating infections of the mucosal membranes or destructive subcutaneous mycoses. One of the most common IFIs is invasive candidiasis, mostly commonly caused by Candida albicans infections, with mortality rates of approximately 30%. In addition, the population of susceptible individuals and the incidences of both mucosal and systemic mycoses continue to rise due to the widespread use of broad-spectrum antibacterial agents, cancer chemotherapies, and the immune suppressive …

The Impact Of Candida Albicans Glycogen On Fitness, Virulence And Host Response, Jian Miao

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Candida albicans is an opportunistic human fungal pathogen that presents in healthy persons colonizing the oropharyngeal, esophageal, and gastrointestinal mucosa. This polymorphic fungal pathogen remains a leading cause of both invasive and superficial mycoses. C. albicans can cause oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC) and disseminated candidiasis when normal host immunity is disturbed, while also causing vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) in healthy women. Adaptation to different host niches requires rapid and coordinated changes in Candida metabolism and physiology to cope with host immune surveillance and to counteract host-imposed constraints such as glucose limitation. Although largely unexplored in C. albicans, the glycogen metabolism pathway is …

Ftsk Regulates The Assembly Of The Division Machinery In The Ftsz-Less Chlamydia Trachomatis, Mckenna Katherine Harpring

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

In evolving to obligate intracellular dependence, Chlamydia trachomatis serovar L2 (Ct), has eliminated several gene products essential for cell division in most other bacteria, including FtsZ, the central coordinator of divisome assembly. In the absence of FtsZ, we show that divisome assembly in Ct is initiated by FtsK, a chromosomal translocase. Chlamydial FtsK forms discrete foci at the septum and at the base of the progenitor mother cell, and our data indicate that FtsK foci at the base of the mother cell mark the location of nascent divisome complexes that form at the site where a daughter cell will emerge …