A5009150710- Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens research
- Biochemical and Structural Characterization
- Gut microbiota and health
- Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology
- Streptococcal Infections and Treatments
- Helicobacter pylori-related gastroenterology studies
- Toxin Mechanisms and Immunotoxins
- Botulinum Toxin and Related Neurological Disorders
- Microscopic Colitis
- Bacterial Identification and Susceptibility Testing
- Photodynamic Therapy Research Studies
- Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
- Nosocomial Infections in ICU
- Oral microbiology and periodontitis research
- Infective Endocarditis Diagnosis and Management
- Neonatal and Maternal Infections
- Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
- Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing
- Diphtheria, Corynebacterium, and Tetanus
- Antimicrobial Resistance in Staphylococcus
- Probiotics and Fermented Foods
- Ocular Infections and Treatments
- Plant and Fungal Interactions Research
- Glycosylation and Glycoproteins Research
- Toxoplasma gondii Research Studies
Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences
2021-2025
National Cheng Kung University
2014-2025
Cherokee Nation
2021
National University of Kaohsiung
2019
Cheng Hsin General Hospital
2019
Chang Bing Show Chwan Memorial Hospital
2019
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
2019
Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology
2019
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
2010-2014
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
2009-2011
Corynebacterium diphtheriae is one of the most prominent human pathogens and causative agent communicable disease diphtheria. The genomes 12 strains isolated from patients with classical diphtheria, endocarditis, pneumonia were completely sequenced annotated. Including genome C. NCTC 13129, we herewith present a comprehensive comparative analysis 13 first characterization pangenome species diphtheriae. Comparative genomics showed extensive synteny revealed core consisting 1,632 conserved...
Clostridium difficile is a Gram-positive, spore-forming anaerobic human gastrointestinal pathogen. C. infection (CDI) major health concern worldwide, with symptoms ranging from diarrhea to pseudomembranous colitis, toxic megacolon, sepsis, and death. CDI onset progression are mostly caused by intestinal dysbiosis exposure spores. Current treatment strategies include antibiotics; however, antibiotic use often associated high recurrence rates an increased risk of resistance. Medium-chain fatty...
This study identified a functional spo0A ORF in enterotoxigenic Clostridium perfringens type A. To evaluate the function of spo0A, an isogenic knock-out mutant was constructed.The unable to form endospores and produce enterotoxin, however, these defects could be restored by complementing with recombinant plasmid carrying wildtype gene.These results provide evidence that expression is essential for sporulation enterotoxin production C. perfringens.
In the oral biofilm, ‘mitis’ streptococci are among first group of organisms to colonize tooth surface. Their proliferation is thought be an important factor required for antagonizing growth cariogenic species such as Streptococcus mutans . this study, we used a three-species mixed culture demonstrate that another ubiquitous early colonizing species, Veillonella parvula, can greatly affect outcome competition between pair antagonists S. and gordonii Transcriptome analysis further revealed...
Summary Sortase, a cysteine‐transpeptidase conserved in G ram‐positive bacteria, anchors on the cell wall many surface proteins that facilitate bacterial pathogenesis and fitness. Genetic disruption of housekeeping sortase several pathogens reported thus far attenuates virulence, but not growth. Paradoxically, we discovered depletion SrtA was lethal for A ctinomyces oris ; yet, all its predicted wall‐anchored protein substrates ( AcaA ‐ N ) were individually dispensable viability. Using Tn 5...
The oral biofilm is a multispecies community in which antagonism and mutualism coexist among friends foes to keep an ecological balance of members. pioneer colonizers, such as Streptococcus gordonii, produce H2O2 inhibit the growth competitors, like mutans streptococci, well strict anaerobic middle later colonizers dental biofilm. Interestingly, Veillonella species, early physically interact (coaggregate) with S. gordonii A putative catalase gene (catA) found most sequenced species; however,...
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) skin-wound infections are associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Indocyanine green (ICG), a safe inexpensive dye used in clinical imaging, can be activated by near-infrared photodynamic therapy (PDT) photothermal (PTT) to effectively kill MRSA. However, how this treatment affects MRSA drug sensitivity remains unknown. The drug-sensitivity phenotypes, bacterial growth rate, cell-wall thickness of three strains were analyzed...
Rationale and Objective Gut microbiota have been targeted by alternative therapies for non-communicable diseases. We examined the gut of a healthy Taiwanese population, identified various bacterial drivers in different demographics, compared them with dialysis patients to associate kidney disease progression changes microbiota. Study Design This was cross-sectional cohort study. Settings Participants Fecal samples were obtained from 119 volunteers, 16S rRNA sequencing done on V3-V4 regions...
Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn), a Gram-negative anaerobe primarily residing in the oral cavity, has garnered increasing attention for its role broad spectrum of human diseases. While typically absent or rarely detected outside cavity healthy individuals, Fn is frequently found at extra-oral sites under disease conditions and been implicated cancer progression prognosis1. In squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), abundance significantly increases as progresses, promoting invasion metastasis....
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) production is severely impacted by biotic stresses, leading to significant yield losses. Developing genetically resistant cultivars presents a sustainable alternative chemical control, which often costly and ineffective against evolving pathogens. This study utilized molecular markers assess genetic resistance key tomato diseases, including Fusarium wilt, late blight, bacterial root-knot nematode, Mosaic Virus (ToMV), Yellow Leaf Curl (TYLCV), across 964...
The standard antimicrobial therapy for Clostridioides difficile infections (CDIs) is limited to oral fidaxomicin or vancomycin, but these agents are associated with high treatment failure and recurrence rates. Clostridium butyricum had been proven effective in many kinds of gastrointestinal disease. With a less disturbed gut microbiota, we hypothesized that the properties Miyairi Bacteriocin (CBM-B) make it potential therapeutic agent treating patients CDIs. inhibitory effects CBM-B...
This study identified a functional spo0A ORF in enterotoxigenic Clostridium perfringens type A. To evaluate the function of spo0A, an isogenic knock-out mutant was constructed. The unable to form endospores and produce enterotoxin, however, these defects could be restored by complementing with recombinant plasmid carrying wild-type gene. These results provide evidence that expression is essential for sporulation enterotoxin production C. perfringens.
Ribotypes and toxin genotypes of clinical C. difficile isolates in Taiwan are rarely reported. A prospective surveillance study from January 2011 to 2013 was conducted at the medical wards a district hospital southern Taiwan. Of first toxigenic 120 patients, 68 (56.7%) possessed both tcdA tcdB. 52 (43.3%) with tcdB truncated (tcdA-/tcdB+), all were ribotype 017 none had binary or tcdC deletion. Eighteen (15%) harbored toxins (cdtA cdtB) deletion, including Δ39 (C184T) deletion (14 isolates),...
Clostridium perfringens is an anaerobic, gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium responsible for the production of severe histotoxic and gastrointestinal diseases in humans animals. In silico analysis three available genome-sequenced C. strains (13, SM101, ATCC13124) revealed that genes encode flagellar proteins involved chemotaxis are absent. However, those exhibit type IV pilus (TFP)-dependent gliding motility. Since carbon catabolite regulation has been implicated control different...
Toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae strains cause diphtheria in humans. The toxigenic C. isolate NCTC13129 produces three distinct heterotrimeric pili that contain SpaA, SpaD, and SpaH, making up the shaft structure. SpaA are known to mediate bacterial adherence pharyngeal epithelial cells. However, date little is about expression of different various clinical isolates their importance pathogenesis. Here, we characterized a large collection for pilin gene pool by PCR respective pilins...
Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (APDT) has become a potential regimen to treat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. Limited data showed indocyanine green (ICG), safe and inexpensive contrast medium for eye angiography hepatic function examination, is an effective photosensitizer in APDT kill methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) after excitation with laser. We investigated the potentials of ICG-APDT inexpensive, non-coherent commercial near infrared (NIR) lamp against...
Covalently cross-linked pilus polymers displayed on the cell surface of Gram-positive bacteria are assembled by class C sortase enzymes. These pilus-specific transpeptidases located bacterial membrane catalyze a two-step protein ligation reaction, first cleaving LPXTG motif one pilin protomer to form an acyl-enzyme intermediate and then joining terminal Thr nucleophilic Lys residue residing within another protomer. To date, determinants enzymes that uniquely enable them construct pili remain...
Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) is an important virulence factor for food poisoning and non-food borne gastrointestinal (GI) diseases. Although CPE production strongly regulated by sporulation, the nature of signal(s) triggering sporulation remains unknown. Here, we demonstrated that inorganic phosphate (Pi), not pH, constitutes environmental signal inducing synthesis. In absence Pi-supplementation, C. displayed a spo0A phenotype, i.e., polar septation DNA partitioning in cells...
As a pioneer colonizer of the oral cavity, Actinomyces oris expresses proteinaceous pili (also called fimbriae) to mediate following two key events in biofilm formation: adherence saliva deposits on enamel and interbacterial associations. Assembly type 2 fimbriae that directly facilitate coaggregation with streptococci development requires class C sortase SrtC2. Although general sortase-associated mechanisms have been elucidated, several structural attributes unique sortases require...
Clostridium difficile is a Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium and major cause of nosocomial diarrhea. Related studies have identified numerous factors that influence virulence traits such as the production two primary toxins, toxin A (TcdA) B (TcdB), well sporulation, motility, biofilm formation. However, multiple putative transcriptional regulators are reportedly encoded in genome, additional likely involved regulation. Although leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp) has been...
We identified 20 to 22 resistance genes, carried in four incompatibility groups of plasmids, each five genetically closely related Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strains recovered from humans, pigs, and chickens. The genes conferred aminoglycosides, chloramphenicol, sulfonamides, trimethoprim, tetracycline, fluoroquinolones, extended-spectrum cephalosporins cefoxitin, azithromycin. This study demonstrates the transmission multidrug-resistant among humans food animals may be first...
Clostridium difficile is considered to be one of the major cause infectious diarrhea in healthcare systems worldwide. Symptoms C. infection are caused largely by production two cytotoxins: toxin A (TcdA) and B (TcdB). Vaccine development desirable as it would decrease mounting medical costs mortality associated with infections. Biodegradable nanoparticles composed poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) chitosan have proven a safe effective antigen delivery system for many viral vaccines. However, few...