Category: Microbiology

Development of Human Cytomegalovirus Glycoprotein B and Pentamer Complex Subunit Vaccines to Elicit Protective Immune Response Against Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infections

September 15, 2025 Ankita Rao
Ankita Rao Background: Congenital cytomegalovirus infection (cCMV) is the most common congenital infection in the United States, caused by vertical transmission of the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). cCMV can result intrauterine fetal demise, miscarriage, neurodevelopmental disorders, intracranial abnormalities and sensorineural hearing loss1. Antiviral medications available for treatment of transplant patients cannot…
Featured Abstracts Immunology Microbiology

Biomarkers and Clinical Indicators of Long-COVID Associated Brain Fog

August 4, 2025 Arjun Sangani
Arjun Sangani Background:  Long-COVID is a disease state following COVID-19 infection, characterized by prolonged symptoms such as fatigue, pain, and shortness of breath.4 Among these, “brain fog” describes cognitive dysfunction including memory impairment and slower cognition. Due to the subjective nature of these complaints, brain fog can be challenging for…
Engineering Medicine Featured Abstracts Microbiology

Targeting the TNF-α Pathway through Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium supplementation in Systemic Inflammation and Cancer

July 18, 2025 Hannah McQueen
Hannah McQueen Background: Chronic systemic inflammation is a recognized contributor to various pathological states, including obesity and cancer. The gut microbiome serves as a crucial interface between environmental exposures and host immunity, influencing inflammatory responses across multiple systems. Dysbiosis – an imbalance in gut microbial communities – can trigger systemic…
Cancer Microbiology

Outer Membrane Vesicle-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in Broad Spectrum Pathogens: Implications for Inpatient and Critical Care

July 18, 2025 Aurian Maleki
Aurian Maleki Background:  Rising antibiotic resistance in critical care settings has prompted research into nongenetic mechanisms that allow susceptible bacteria to survive previously lethal antibiotic exposures. A factor that has emerged in recent studies is the role of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs)—nanosized secretions from both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria—carrying enzymes,…
Microbiology

Immune Modulation by microRNAs Post-FMT: Implications for IBD and C. difficile

July 18, 2025 Ahmad Lambert
Ahmad Lambert Background:  Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a major cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in patients with underlying inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).1 IBD, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is characterized by chronic inflammation due to an aberrant immune response to…
Featured Abstracts Immunology Microbiology

Preventing Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection through Toxin Neutralization by Monoclonal Antibody Engineering

July 17, 2025 Radwa Emam
Radwa Emam Background:  Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a major cause of hospital acquired diarrhea, especially in the elderly and immunocompromised patients.1,2 Clostridium difficile toxins, TcdA and TcdB, disrupt the actin cytoskeleton which leads to symptoms that range from mild diarrhea to fulminant colitis, toxic megacolon, shock, or kidney failure.1…
Featured Abstracts Immunology Microbiology

Food for a Better Mood: Diet as a Modulator of the Gut Microbiome for the Treatment of Depression

June 28, 2024 Raiyan Talukder
Raiyan Talukder Background: Depression is one of the most common mood disorders in the world, characterized by at least 2 weeks of depressed mood, anhedonia, loss of interest, and other symptoms.1 Unfortunately, depression is a growing issue, affecting over 280 million people worldwide with some communities observing a large uptick…
Engineering Medicine Featured Abstracts Microbiology Psychiatry

Examining Helicobacter Pylori Pathogenesis and Motility Mechanisms

June 28, 2024 Anita Sumali
Anita Sumali Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is one of the most prevalent human pathogens worldwide, infecting approximately half of the global population1. Its association with numerous gastrointestinal disorders, including gastritis, peptic ulcers, and gastric cancer highlights the urgent need for a thorough understanding of its pathogenesis mechanisms2. While extensive…
Engineering Medicine Featured Abstracts Microbiology

Bacteriophage Therapy as a Means of Resolving Biofilm Formation On Vascular Prostheses

June 28, 2024 Veronica Stuckey
Veronica Stuckey Background:  Vascular graft infections (VGIs) present an uncommon (1-3%) but potentially deadly (mortality 20-30%) post-surgical adverse effect. VGIs are biofilm associated infections resistant to antibiotic treatment due to difficulty penetrating the biofilm microenvironment[1]. Patients within the first 4 months post-operatively are at the highest risk of infections from…
Cardiology Engineering Medicine Featured Abstracts Microbiology