A5055338568- Identification and Quantification in Food
- Probiotics and Fermented Foods
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Bacillus and Francisella bacterial research
- Food Safety and Hygiene
- Pneumonia and Respiratory Infections
- Yersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites research
- Listeria monocytogenes in Food Safety
- Infective Endocarditis Diagnosis and Management
- Blood disorders and treatments
- Streptococcal Infections and Treatments
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Respiratory viral infections research
- Vibrio bacteria research studies
- Education and Critical Thinking Development
- Pleural and Pulmonary Diseases
- Problem and Project Based Learning
- Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods
- Organic Food and Agriculture
- Reflective Practices in Education
- Salmonella and Campylobacter epidemiology
- Bacterial Infections and Vaccines
- Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Oral microbiology and periodontitis research
Birmingham–Southern College
2022-2023
University of Alabama at Birmingham
2018-2020
Cornell University
2015-2020
A facultatively anaerobic, spore-forming Bacillus strain, FSL W8-0169T, collected from raw milk stored in a silo at dairy powder processing plant the north-eastern USA was initially identified as cereus group species based on partial sequence of rpoB gene and 16S rRNA sequence. Analysis core genome single nucleotide polymorphisms clustered this strain separately known B. species. Pairwise average identity blast values obtained for W8-0169T compared to type strains existing were <95 %...
Bacillus cereus group isolates that produce diarrheal or emetic toxins are frequently isolated from raw milk and, in spore form, can survive pasteurization. Several species within the B. closely related and cannot be reliably differentiated by established taxonomical criteria. While is traditionally recognized as principal causative agent of foodborne disease this group, there a need to better understand distribution expression different toxin virulence genes among food facilitate reliable...
While some species in the Bacillus cereus group are well-characterized human pathogens (e.g., B. anthracis and sensu stricto), pathogenicity of other pseudomycoides) either has not been characterized or is presently well understood. To provide an updated characterization pathogenic potential group, we classified a set 52 isolates, including 8 type strains 44 isolates from dairy-associated sources, into 7 phylogenetic clades them for (i) presence toxin genes, (ii) phenotypic characteristics...
Significance We detail host–pathogen interaction gene-expression profiles of Streptococcus pneumoniae ( Spn ) and its infected host at disease relevant anatomical sites using mice as experimental models. identify the shared organ-specific transcriptomes , show that bacterial are highly distinct during asymptomatic colonization versus disease-causing infection, demonstrate genes with high levels expression contribute to pathogenesis or defense, respectively, making them optimal targets for...
Streptococcus pneumoniae is an opportunistic Gram-positive pathogen that can cause invasive disease. Recent studies have shown S. able to invade the myocardium and kill cardiomyocytes, with one-in-five adults hospitalized for pneumococcal pneumonia having a pneumonia-associated adverse cardiac event. Furthermore, clinical reports up 10-year increased risk of events in patients formerly bacteremia. In this study, we investigated ability nine isolates, representing eight unique serotypes,...
Consumption of contaminated produce remains a leading cause foodborne illness. Increasingly, growers are altering agricultural practices and farm environments to manage food-safety hazards, but these changes often result in substantial economic, social, environmental costs. Here, we present comprehensive evidence synthesis evaluating the efficacy soil, non-crop vegetation, animal, landscape, irrigation water management strategies aimed at reducing produce-safety risk North America. We...
Early childhood caries (ECC) is a chronic disease affecting the oral health of children globally. This multifactorial, but primary factor cariogenic microorganisms such as Streptococcus mutans. Biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) encode small molecules with diverse biological activities that influence development many microbial diseases, including caries. The purpose this study was to identify BGCs in S. mutans from high-caries risk population using whole-genome sequencing and assess their...
Streptococcus pneumoniae infection can result in bacteremia with devastating consequences including heart damage. Necroptosis is a proinflammatory form of cell death instigated by pore-forming toxins such as S. pneumolysin. Necroptosis-inhibiting drugs may lessen organ damage during invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD).In vitro experiments were carried out human and mouse cardiomyocytes. Long-term cardiac was assessed using high-resolution echocardiography ampicillin-rescued mice 3 months...
Paenibacillus is a spore-forming bacterial genus that frequently isolated from fluid milk and proposed to play role in spoilage. To characterize the genetic phenotypic diversity of spp., we first used rpoB allelic typing data for preexisting collection 1,228 species isolates collected raw processed milk, products, dairy environmental sources. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) average nucleotide identity by BLAST (ANIb) analyses performed subset 58 representing unique overrepresented types...
The Bacillus cereus group comprises 18 different species, including human pathogens as well psychrotolerant strains that are an important cause of fluid milk spoilage. To enhance our understanding the genetic markers associated with psychrotolerance (defined here > 1 log10 increase in cfu/mL after 21 days incubation at 6°C) among dairy-associated B. isolates, we used (whole genome sequencing) and phenotypic methods [growth Skim Milk Broth (SMB) Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) broth] to...
Students develop soft skills through frequent feedback and reflection, but skill development is difficult to measure. Innovation are desired for many career directions. challenges, like the one described here, give students opportunity address real-world problems while working in teams. We developed a toolkit assess student growth important needed become effective presenters, innovators, leaders. Participants practiced giving receiving about contributions team dynamics. Following program,...