Virus Diseases Commons^™

Metabolic And Replicative Constraints On Pathogen Virulence: Isoleucine Catabolism In Shigella And Comparative Tanapoxvirus Replication In Cell Cultures, Benecia Angelica

Masters Theses

Pathogens survive by balancing metabolic demands with environmental challenges that shape their virulence and adaptability. Shigella flexneri, a highly infectious human pathogen responsible for severe diarrheal disease worldwide, utilizes branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism to withstand stress conditions encountered within the host environment. In this study, we explored the Shigella isoleucine catabolism pathway by knocking out four genes in the S. flexneri isoleucine catabolic pathway (ilvE, fadA, fadD, and acnB) and examining their metabolism and virulence. We found that the ilvE and acnB mutants displayed reduced metabolic activity and smaller plaque size, while the fadD mutant showed decreased invasion. In …

Mechanisms Of Binding And Immune Escape Resistance For Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies Targeting Distinct Conserved Sars-Cov-2 Spike Epitopes: A Hierarchical Approach Integrating Mutational Profiling And Energy Landscape Analysis, Mohammed Alshahrani, Will Gatlin, Max Ludwick, Lucas Turano, Brandon Foley, Gennady M. Verkhivker

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

The continued evolution of SARS-CoV-2 has enabled an escape from most monoclonal antibodies, yet a subset of broadly neutralizing antibodies targeting three newly identified super-conserved RBD epitopes—SCORE-A, SCORE-B, and SCORE-C—retains remarkable activity against even the most recent JN.1-derived sublineages. Here, we employed an integrated computational framework combining conformational dynamics, mutational scanning, MM-GBSA binding energetics, and frustration profiling to dissect the molecular mechanisms by which XGI antibodies achieve broad neutralization and resistance to immune escape. Structural analysis revealed that all three SCORE epitopes share a common architecture: a highly conserved, minimally frustrated core that provides stable anchoring, flanked by peripheral regions …

Public Perception Of Equine Rabies And Its Implications For Future Education And Preventative Strategies, Kya Walton

Honors College Theses

This study examined the rabies knowledge, vaccination, and risks of exposures of horse owners/overseers across the state of Kentucky. Research was conducted to determine the need for public health educators and veterinarians to inform the public on rabies. Survey results concluded that respondents' general knowledge of rabies transmission and mortality rate was respectable, but knowledge relating to equine vaccination was comparatively lower. A weak inverse relationship was observed between general rabies knowledge and concern over an individual’s horses contracting rabies. A weak positive correlation was determined when looking into general rabies knowledge and the likelihood of vaccinating an individual’s horses. …

An Unusual Brain Invader: A Case Of Adult Viral Meningitis, Gregory Williams, Jonathan Barnett

Central & West Texas and San Antonio GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

A Rare Case Of Disseminated Herpes Zoster, Reza Nasrollahzadeh, Andrea Francis, Rasmeet Kaur, Micheline Tantchou

Central & West Texas and San Antonio GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: A Narrative Review Of Disparities Between Black And White Women In The United States And Strategies For Improvement, Lynne Li, Jessica Schlewitt

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) is an inflammatory syndrome of the upper female reproductive organs caused by infection, most commonly via Neisseria gonorrhoeae or Chlamydia trachomatis, spreading to one or more reproductive organs. With PID responsible for many of the major morbidities of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as ectopic pregnancy and chronic pelvic pain, the urgency is high to mitigate the impacts of untreated PID, especially in higher-risk populations. This paper discusses the current disparities in PID diagnosis, treatment, and management between Black and white women and proposes interventions to reduce health inequalities involving PID. To conduct this narrative review, …

Aircraft Wastewater Surveillance As A Tool For Monitoring Disease In The Pacific, Carla J. Eaton, Joanne R. Chapman, Brent J. Gilpin

Pacific Journal of Health

Wastewater surveillance is a powerful tool for monitoring infectious diseases within a population. However, as most wastewater surveillance relies on interconnected wastewater networks to provide samples representative of the population, many Pacific Islands have been excluded from benefiting from this tool due to their lack of reticulated sewerage systems. Many diseases of concern for the Pacific are detectable in wastewater even though individuals may be asymptomatic. We investigated whether analysis of wastewater from aircraft arriving in New Zealand from Pacific Island nations could be used as a proxy for in-country surveillance. Flights from the Pacific arrive in Auckland daily, with …

Limited English Proficiency, Acculturative Stress, And Quality Of Life Among Korean American Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B, Hee-Soon Juon, Gilbert C. Gee, Julia G. Katcher, Daniel Yang, Katherine Smith, Ann C. Klassen

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is one of the most widespread liver diseases in the world and disproportionately affects Asian Americans, who are further impacted by the lower quality of life imposed by the infection. Limited English proficiency (LEP) and acculturative stress play an important role in the study of patients with CHB, but the interrelationships of LEP, acculturative stress, and health outcomes are not well studied in this population. This study aims to explore how acculturative stress mediates the relationship between LEP and health outcomes among Korean American patients with CHB.

METHODS: A total of 365 CHB patients completed …

Rural Georgia Hospital Covid-19 Virus Patient Outcomes, Susan P. Smith, Neeraj Dayama, Morgan E. House, Debra Flores, Sharon Hunt, April Dukes, Steven Gautney

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to over 1.2 million deaths in the United States. Given the staggering scale of the pandemic, rural hospitals faced heightened challenges due to limited resource availability and underlying patient characteristics.

Methods: In this context, we examined patient and hospital-related factors associated with inpatient mortality due to COVID-19. This study is a retrospective chart review of patient outcomes of patients who were hospitalized in a Southwest Georgia rural hospital with COVID-19 during the initial onset of the outbreak and over the following 23 months of the pandemic. Patient demographics, other characteristics, …

Beat-Bk: An Adaptive, Randomized Controlled Trial To Treat Polyomavirus Infections (Bkpyv) In Kidney And Kidney-Pancreas Transplantation Recipients (Beat-Bk) Study Protocol, Ryan Gately, Michael Dymock, Dharshana Sabanayagam, Scott B. Campbell, Jonathan C. Craig, Vikas Dharnidharka, Anna Francis, Jonathan M. Gleadle, Martin Hajek, Sana Hamilton, Martin Howell, Nicole Isbel, Allison Jaure, David W. Johnson, John Kanellis, Karen Keung, Siah Kim, Jen Kok, Dirk R. Kuypers, Nicholas Larkins, Wai H. Lim, Rahul Mainra, Julie A. Marsh, Gabor Mihala, Brian Nankivell, Samantha Ng

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background. – BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) is a common opportunistic infection in kidney transplant recipients, typically reactivating in the context of immunosuppression. Although asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals, reactivation in transplant recipients can cause BKPyV-associated nephropathy (BKPyVAN), a leading cause of graft dysfunction and loss. BKPyV viremia affects approximately 10%–15% of transplant recipients, and once BKPyVAN is established, the risk of graft failure can exceed 50%. The current standard of care involves immunosuppression reduction to restore virus-specific immunity, but this approach increases the risk of acute and chronic rejection. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), which contains antiviral and immunomodulatory antibodies, has been proposed as …

Population Analysis And Immunologic Landscape Of Melanoma In People Living With Hiv, Lindsay Barger, Derek Wang, Ashley Saravia, Valeria Mezzano, Gyles Ward, Cynthia Loomis, Carly Feldman, Madalina Tuluc, Rino Seedor, Peter Gaskill, Anna Coghill, Gita Suneja, Iman Dehzangi, Jennifer Hope, George Jour, Gabriele Romano

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

PURPOSE: To dissect the clinical and immunologic features of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; PLWH) diagnosed with melanoma, who have consistently shown worse outcomes than HIV-negative individuals (PLw/oH) with the same cancer.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We analyzed electronic health records from 1,087 PLWH and 394,437 PLw/oH with melanoma. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared. Spatial immune transcriptomics (72 immune-related genes) was performed on melanoma tumor samples (n = 11), with downstream validation using multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF; n = 15 PLWH, n = 14 PLw/oH).

RESULTS: PLWH were diagnosed at a younger age, had a greater representation of Hispanic and …

Covid-19 Risky Health Behavior Among College Students, Azait Imtiaz

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

This research explored the behavior of college students before and after the implementation of a mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted at a public university in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia with 807 college students. The study assessed various factors, including living arrangements (shared living spaces such as rooms and bathrooms), social behavior (including social gatherings), adherence to mask protocols during gatherings, and hygiene practices (such as hand sanitization). The results indicated significant differences in social behavior (M_before = 19.82, M_after = 25.85, p =.001), mask-wearing (M_before = 20.73, M_after = 31.41, p …

Variation In Antiviral Immunity And Inflammation Pathways Precedes Hiv-1 Infection In A High-Risk African Cohort, Mwikali Kioko, Shaban Mwangi, Lynn Fwambah, Amin Hassan, Jason Blackard, Philip Bejon, Eduard Sanders, Thumbi Ndung’U, Eunice Nduati, Abdirahman Abdi

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

BACKGROUND. Susceptibility to HIV-1 infection varies between individuals, but the biological determinants of acquisition risk remain poorly defined.

METHODS. We conducted a case-control study nested within a high-risk cohort in Kenya. We compared the plasma extracellular RNA collected before HIV-1 acquisition with that from matched uninfected individuals acting as controls to identify immunological processes linked to infection risk.

RESULTS. Individuals who later acquired HIV-1 exhibited upregulation of immune processes that facilitate viral infection, including T cell suppression and type II IFN and Th2 immune responses. In contrast, processes associated with antiviral defence and tissue repair, such as …

Disseminated Mycobacterium Avium Complex (Mac) Infection Presenting With Mycotic Aneurysm And Multisystem Involvement In A Patient With Newly Diagnosed Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (Aids), Hannah Rector, Michael Haddad, Dmitriy Scherbak

Continental and Mountain Divisions GME Resarch Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Neurosyphilis With Albuminocytologic Dissociation And Discordant Serology In Controlled Hiv Infection, Nikita Zanko, Kyle Tracy, Dmitriy Scherbak

Continental and Mountain Divisions GME Resarch Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Proof-Of-Concept Development And Preclinical Evaluation Of A Microarray Patch Platform For Codelivery Of Multiple Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies For Hiv Prevention, M. Melissa Peet, Vivek Agrahari, Parbeen Singh, Lam Luong Hoai Nguyen, Louise A. Ouattara, Eun Sung Yang, Carolina Herrera, Amarendra Pegu, Theodore C. Pierson, Thanh D. Nguyen, Gustavo F. Doncel

CONRAD Publications

Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) are advancing as a preventative or treatment option for HIV infection, but currently must be administered parenterally, typically as a large injection or infusion, an invasive method of delivery, especially for the pediatric population. Here, we present proof-of-concept data on a minimally invasive microneedle (MN) patch platform codelivering three bnAbs, PGT121, VRC07-523LS, and PGDM1400LS, from separate MN patch units or pixels. Each 1 cm² patch pixel, fabricated via solvent casting, contained ∼2 mg of one bnAb. In ex vivo porcine skin tests, the MNs effectively penetrated the skin. When tested in vitro in PBS buffer, MNs …

Modulation Of Prussian Blue Redox Signaling By Molecular Imprinting For Reagent-Free Electrochemical Detection Of Emtricitabine, Abdellatif Ait Lahcen, Gymama Slaughter

Center for Bioelectronics Publications

Reagent-free electrochemical sensors offer significant benefits for rapid, affordable point-of-care drug testing. In this study, we introduce a novel, reagent-free electrochemical sensor based on a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) specifically designed for the selective detection of Emtricitabine (FTC), a common antiretroviral used in HIV therapy. The sensor uses laser-induced graphene (LIG) electrodes, renowned for their high conductivity and porosity, ideal for electrochemical sensing. To enable reagent-free operation, the LIG surface was electrochemically coated with Prussian Blue, serving as a redox-active layer. Next, an MIP-PPy film was electropolymerized onto the Prussian Blue surface in the presence of FTC as a template, …

Early And Sustained Improvements In Sense Of Smell With Tezepelumab Treatment In Patients With Chronic Rhinosinusitis With Nasal Polyps (Waypoint), Joaquim Mullol, Joseph K. Han, Tanya M. Laidlaw, Claire Hopkins, Anju T. Peters, Oliver Pfaar, Martin Desrosiers, Stella E. Lee, Andrew P. Lane, Claudia Chen, Yun Chon, Sandhia S. Ponnarambil, Andrews Foster, Andrew W. Lindsley, Christopher S. Ambrose

Department of Otolaryngology (ENT) Faculty Publications

Background

Loss of smell is a principal symptom of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), affecting health-related quality of life and posing a safety hazard.

Methods

WAYPOINT (NCT04851964), a phase 3, multicenter trial in adults with uncontrolled CRSwNP, randomized patients 1:1 to receive tezepelumab 210 mg or placebo subcutaneously every 4 weeks for 52 weeks. Changes from baseline in biweekly mean Nasal Polyposis Symptom Diary (NPSD) loss of smell item, University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT), and 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) loss of smell/taste item scores, as well as anosmia (UPSIT score ≤18) prevalence, were assessed over 52 …

Panacos Procedure For Treatment Of Uncooperative Warts, Val Haddon, Joel Santana, Andra Achim

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Influenza A Precipitation Of Motor Dysfunction In Dandy-Walker Variant: A Case Of Viral-Induced Spasticity, Scott Scher, Joseph Johnson, Alex Bandea, Tyler Otto, Zarina Marie Guevarra Balde, Abbie John, Carlos Cano

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.