Infectious Disease Commons^™

Improving Adolescent Hpv Vaccination In A Randomized Controlled Cluster Trial Using The 4 Pillars™ Practice Transformation Program., Richard K. Zimmerman, Krissy K. Moehling, Chyongchiou J. Lin, Song Zhang, Jonathan M. Raviotta, Evelyn C. Reis, Sharon Humiston, Mary Patricia Nowalk

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVE: Uptake of meningococcal vaccine (MCV) and tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine among adolescents has approached Healthy People 2020 goals, but human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination has not. This study evaluated an intervention using the 4 Pillars™ Practice Transformation Program to increase HPV, MCV and Tdap uptake among adolescents in primary care practices.

METHODS: Practices with at least 50 patients 11-17years old with estimated vaccination rates less than national goals, were assigned to intervention (n=11) and control (n=11) groups in a randomized controlled cluster trial; 9 intervention and 11 control sites completed the study. The baseline and active study periods …

Febrile Rhinovirus Illness During Pregnancy Is Associated With Low Birth Weight In Nepal., Erin K Philpott, Janet A Englund, Joanne Katz, James Tielsch, Subarna Khatry, Stephen C Leclerq, Laxman Shrestha, Jane Kuypers, Amalia S Magaret, Mark C Steinhoff, Helen Y Chu

Global Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Adverse birth outcomes, including low birth weight (LBW), defined as <2500 >grams, small-for-gestational-age (SGA), and prematurity, contribute to 60%-80% of infant mortality worldwide and may be related to infections during pregnancy. The aim of this study was to assess whether febrile human rhinovirus (HRV) illness is associated with adverse birth outcomes.

METHODS: Active household-based weekly surveillance was performed for respiratory illness episodes in pregnant women as part of a community-based, prospective, randomized trial of maternal influenza immunization in rural Nepal. Rhinovirus (HRV) febrile illness episodes were defined as fever plus cough, sore throat, runny nose, and/or myalgia with HRV detected …

Genomes Of Fasciola Hepatica From The Americas Reveal Colonization With Neorickettsia Endobacteria Related To The Agents Of Potomac Horse And Human Sennetsu Fevers., Samantha N Mcnulty, Jose F Tort, Gabriel Rinaldi, Bruce A Rosa, Victoria H. Mann, Patricia S. Latham, Paul J. Brindley, +Several Additional Authors

Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine Faculty Publications

Food borne trematodes (FBTs) are an assemblage of platyhelminth parasites transmitted through the food chain, four of which are recognized as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Fascioliasis stands out among the other NTDs due to its broad and significant impact on both human and animal health, as Fasciola sp., are also considered major pathogens of domesticated ruminants. Here we present a reference genome sequence of the common liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica isolated from sheep, complementing previously reported isolate from cattle. A total of 14,642 genes were predicted from the 1.14 GB genome of the liver fluke. Comparative genomics indicated that F. …

Reactivation Of Hiv-1 Proviruses In Immune-Compromised Mice Engrafted With Human Voa-Negative Cd4+ T Cells, Zhe Yuan, Guobin Kang, Wuxun Lu, Qingsheng Li

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Background: HIV-1 infection remains incurable on antiretroviral therapy (ART) due to virus latency. To date, enhanced co-culture assays, including viral outgrowth assays (VOA), are commonly used to measure HIV-1 latent reservoirs and evaluate latency-reversing agents (LRAs). However, VOA can only reactivate a small fraction of intact proviruses.

Methods: To explore the utility of NOD scid gamma (NSG) mice as an in vivo model to reactivate HIV-1 proviruses from VOA-negative CD4+ T cells, resting CD4+ T cells from an HIV-1 latently infected individual were isolated and the human CD4+ T cells corresponding to VOA-positive and VOA-negative CD4+ T cells were engrafted …

The Promise Of Systems Biology Approaches For Revealing Host Pathogen Interactions In Malaria., Meghan Zuck, Laura S Austin, Samuel A Danziger, John D Aitchison, Alexis Kaushansky

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Despite global eradication efforts over the past century, malaria remains a devastating public health burden, causing almost half a million deaths annually (WHO, 2016). A detailed understanding of the mechanisms that control malaria infection has been hindered by technical challenges of studying a complex parasite life cycle in multiple hosts. While many interventions targeting the parasite have been implemented, the complex biology of

Distinct Transcriptome Profiles Of Gag-Specific Cd8+ T Cells Temporally Correlated With The Protection Elicited By Sivδnef Live Attenuated Vaccine, Wuxun Lu, Yanmin Wu, Fangrui Ma, R. Paul Johnson, Qingsheng Li

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

The live attenuated vaccine (LAV) SIVmac239Δnef (SIVΔnef) confers the best protection among all the vaccine modalities tested in rhesus macaque model of HIV-1 infection. This vaccine has a unique feature of time-dependent protection: macaques are not protected at 3±5 weeks post vaccination (WPV), whereas immune protection emerges between 15 and 20 WPV. Although the exact mechanisms of the time-dependent protection remain incompletely understood, studies suggested that both cellular and humoral immunities contribute to this time-dependent protection. To further elucidate the mechanisms of protection induced by SIVΔnef, we longitudinally compared the global gene expression profiles of SIV Gag-CM9+ CD8+ (Gag-specific CD8+) …

Chloroviruses Have A Sweet Tooth, James L. Van Etten, Irina V. Agarkova, David D. Dunigan, Michela Tonetti, Cristina De Castro, Garry A. Duncan

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Chloroviruses are large double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) viruses that infect certain isolates of chlorella-like green algae. They contain up to approximately 400 protein-encoding genes and 16 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. This review summarizes the unexpected finding that many of the chlorovirus genes encode proteins involved in manipulating carbohydrates. These include enzymes involved in making extracellular polysaccharides, such as hyaluronan and chitin, enzymes that make nucleotide sugars, such as GDP-L-fucose and GDP-D-rhamnose and enzymes involved in the synthesis of glycans attached to the virus major capsid proteins. This latter process differs from that of all other glycoprotein containing viruses that traditionally use …

Tryptophan 375 Stabilizes The Outer-Domain Core Of Gp120 For Hiv Vaccine Immunogen Design, Duoyi Hu, Dane Bowder, Wenzhong Wei, Jesse Thompson, Mark A. Wilson, Shi-Hua Xiang

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

The outer-domain core of gp120 may serve as a better HIV vaccine immunogen than the full-length gp120 because of its greater stability and immunogenicity. In our previous report, we introduced two disulfide bonds to the outer-domain core of gp120 to fix its conformation into a CD4-bound state, which resulted in a significant increase in its immunogenicity when compared to the wild-type outer-domain core. In this report, to further improve the immunogenicity of the outer-domain core based immunogen, we have introduced a Tryptophan residue at gp120 amino acid sequence position 375 (375S/W). Our data from immunized guinea pigs indeed shows a …

Cryptococcal Empyema: A Rare Manifestation Of Disease, Mohamed Mortagy, Larry Lutwick, Stephen Breisach

Research Day

Introduction: Cryptococcus neoformans is a pathogenic yeast that is generally acquired by man from the environment via the respiratory route. Despite this route of acquisition, overt pulmonary infection is uncommonly diagnosed and the disease is usually manifest as a subacute meningitis which is mostly manifest in individuals who are celluarly immunoincompetent such as those on cancer chemotherapy, receiving anti-solid organ rejection medications and those with HIV/AIDS. Infection of the pleural space with C. neoformans is quite uncommon. We report a non-immunosuppressed man who was found to have infection of the pleural in the wake of bacterial empyema who was successfully …

Infection-Associated Mycobacterium Fortuitum Infection, Dennis T. Huang, Larry Lutwick

Research Day

Introduction: Mycobacterial species are unusual causes of skin and soft tissue infections and can be difficult to diagnose in the absence of consideration as they often require specific culture media and longer incubation times. We report a Mycobacterium fortuitum subcutaneous abscess in a diabetic related to medication injection that was initially diagnosed without specialized media or prolonged incubation times. Case Report: A 48 year old diabetic female developed a progressive subcutaneous swelling in the tissues of the right lower abdominal wall where she had been injecting liraglutide. Because of continued enlargement "to almost egg size" with pain, she was empirically …

Evaluating Adherence To The Sepsis Bundle And The Effectiveness Of Best Practice Alerts, Kate M. Burnett

DNP Projects

PURPOSE: To evaluate the adherence to the CMS sepsis recommendations and sepsis bundle used by the study health system before and after the implementation of Best Practice Alerts (BPAs) and assessing the effect of these alerts on patient outcomes.

METHODS: The study was a single-center, process evaluation through a retrospective chart review within a southwest healthcare system. The sample consisted of 73 patients for the pre-implementation period (May 1, 2016-September 7, 2016) and 75 patients for the post-implementation period (September 8, 2016-April 30, 2017).

RESULTS: No major differences were found between the two groups with regard to patient age, ethnicity, …

Global Health Experience In Swaziland, Anik Patel

Posters

Describes a global health learning experience at the Baylor Center of Excellence in Swaziland, where diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS and TB, along with maternal health, women's health, and adolescent care are provided.

Characterization Of A New Chlorovirus Type With Permissive And Non-Permissive Features On Phylogenetically Related Algal Strains, Cristian F. Quispe, Ahmed Esmael, Olivia Sonderman, Michelle Mcquinn, Irina Agarkova, Mohammed Battah, Garry A. Duncan, David D. Dunigan, Timothy P. L. Smith, Cristina Decastro, Immacolata Speciale, Fangrui Ma, James L. Van Etten

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

A previous report indicated that prototype chlorovirus PBCV-1 replicated in two Chlorella variabilis algal strains, NC64A and Syngen 2-3, that are ex-endosymbionts isolated from the protozoan Paramecium bursaria. Surprisingly, plaque-forming viruses on Syngen 2-3 lawns were often higher than on NC64A lawns from indigenous water samples. These differences led to the discovery of viruses that exclusively replicate in Syngen 2-3 cells, named Only Syngen (OSy) viruses. OSy-NE5, the prototype virus for the proposed new species, had a linear dsDNA genome of 327 kb with 44-nucleotide-long, incompletely base-paired, covalently closed hairpin ends. Each hairpin structure was followed by an identical …

Understanding Zoonotic Enteric Disease In Minnesota: A Spatio Temporal Analysis And Causal Theory Approach, Suchismita Swain

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

With 75 percent of diseases in humans having origin in animals or animal products, zoonotic diseases have an enormous impact on the global disease burden. A significant portion of this can be attributed to bacterial zoonotic enteric pathogens. This study was designed to locate clusters of bacterial zoonotic enteric outbreaks in the State of Minnesota and study the seasonality of these outbreaks. In addition to identifying hot spots for zoonotic enteric outbreaks in Minnesota, the study also aimed to design a causal model to improve understanding of risk factors. This thesis considered only the bacterial zoonotic pathogens with significant disease …

Human Antibody Responses To Pneumococcal Vaccination In Aging Hiv-Positive Individuals, Megan Bickford

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in HIV-positive individuals. Despite the widespread use of anti-retroviral medications, the incidence of pneumococcal disease is 20-40 fold higher in the HIV+ population compared to HIV- persons. Consequently, pneumococcal vaccination is recommended for all HIV+ individuals. In 2012 the FDA changed vaccine recommendation from a single vaccination with the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) to a dual vaccination with 13-valent protein conjugate vaccine (PCV13) followed by PPV23. Studies demonstrating superiority of the PCV13/PPV23 regimen compared to PPV23 alone are limited and controversial. The goal of this study was to …

Retention In Continuous Care And Sustained Viral Suppression: Examining The Association Among Individuals Living With Hiv, Timothy N. Crawford, Alice C. Thornton

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Objectives: To examine the relationship between retention in continuous care and sustained viral suppression.

Methods: The authors retrospectively followed 653 persons who were virally suppressed and seeking care at an infectious disease clinic in Kentucky for an average of 6 years to determine the rates of retention in medical care (≥2 visits separated by ≥3 months within a 12-month period) and sustained viral suppression (<400 copies/mL). A generalized linear mixed model was used to determine an association between retention and suppression over time.

Results: Approximately 61% of the study population were retained in continuous care and 75% had sustained viral suppression for all patient-years. Persons retained in care were 3 times the odds of sustaining viral suppression over …

South Africa: Combatting The Rise Of Hiv In Adolescents, Ryan Northrup

Posters

Describes a global health learning experience in South Africa in 2017, focused on educating teenagers in schools about sexual health and AIDS prevention.

Swaziland: A Journey Into Culture And Health Care, Claire Hickey

Posters

Describes a global health learning experience with Baylor International Pediatrics AIDS Initiative in Swaziland in 2017.

Sanibonani! A Global Health View Of The Hiv/Aids Epidemic In Swaziland, Angie Schmidt

Posters

Describes a global health learning experience with the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative in Swaziland.

Is Tea Tree Oil Preparation An Effective Topical Therapy For Patients With Msra Colonized Wounds?, Mariah A. Gerald

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not tea tree oil preparation an effective topical therapy for patients with MRSA colonized wounds.

STUDY DESIGN: This review is based on three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in 2004,2013, and 2014. These studies compared the efficacy of tea tree oil (TIO) topical preparations in MRSA colonized wounds.

DATA SOURCES: All articles used were published in English, in peer-reviewed journals, and found using PubMed and Cochrane Review databases.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: The efficacy of tea tree oil preparations on MRSA colonized wounds were evaluated …