Publications by authors named "Brandon Luedtke"

All four of the adenosine receptor (AR) subtypes mediate pain and have been targeted by pharmacologists to generate new therapeutics for chronic pain. The vanilloid phytochemicals, which include curcumin, capsaicin, and gingerol, have been shown to alleviate pain. However, there is little to no literature on the interaction of vanilloid phytochemicals with ARs.

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A reaction-based sensor (NAS-1) showed a high affinity and sensitivity to HSO3- via a nucleophilic addition reaction in the aqueous media, giving dual signals from absorption and emission spectra. NAS-1 was successfully applied in RK13 epithelial cells to detect HSO3- in a cellular environment.

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is responsible for a high number of relapsing infections, which are often mediated by the protective nature of biofilms. Polymicrobial biofilms appear to be more tolerant to antibiotic treatment, however, the underlying mechanisms for this remain unclear. Polymicrobial biofilm and planktonic cultures formed by and are 10- to 100-fold more tolerant to oxacillin, vancomycin, ciprofloxacin, delafloxacin, and rifampicin compared to monocultures of .

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Dermacentor variabilis is the predominant tick species in Nebraska and is presumed to be the primary vector of Rickettsia rickettsii associated with cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF). Interestingly, RMSF cases in Nebraska have increased on a year-to-year basis, yet the prevalence of R. rickettsii in D.

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Approximately 700 feral horses, dubbed "trespass horses" by the United States Army, occupy Fort Polk, Louisiana and the surrounding Kisatchie National Forest. These horses are considered a nuisance and hazard, and the military is seeking to remove the horses via adoption. The aim of this research was to evaluate the fecal egg count (FEC), body condition score (BCS), and the presence of Strongylus vulgaris within this previously unstudied horse population prior to removal.

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Beef and veal products have been vehicles implicated in the transmission of a gastroenteritis-causing bacteria. Recent regulatory samples collected from veal have indicated bob veal, or calves harvested within days of birth, have higher rates of than samples collected from formula-fed veal, or calves raised 20 weeks on milk replacer formula before harvest. To investigate this problem, we collected samples from veal calf hides, preevisceration carcasses, and final carcasses at five veal processors that harvested bob or formula-fed veal or both.

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Coxiella burnetii is a Gram-negative intracellular pathogen and is the causative agent of the zoonotic disease Q fever. To cause disease, C. burnetii requires a functional type IVB secretion system (T4BSS) to transfer effector proteins required for the establishment and maintenance of a membrane-bound parasitophorous vacuole (PV) and further modulation of host cell process.

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In the meat industry, a high-event period (HEP) is defined as a time period when beef processing establishments experience an increased occurrence of product contamination by Escherichia coli O157:H7. Our previous studies suggested that bacterial biofilm formation and sanitizer resistance might contribute to HEPs. We conducted the present study to further characterize E.

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Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) are Shiga toxin-producing E. coli associated with the most severe forms of foodborne illnesses. The U.

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During site visits of veal processors, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) has reported processing deficiencies that likely contribute to increased levels of veal contamination.

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Contamination of beef products by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli is a concern for food safety with a particular subset, the enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), being the most relevant to human disease. To mitigate food safety risks, preharvest intervention strategies have been implemented with the aim to reduce EHEC in cattle.

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The increased association of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) with veal calves has led the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service to report results of veal meat contaminated with the Top 7 serogroups separately from beef cattle. However, detection methods that can also provide concentration for determining the prevalence and abundance of EHEC associated with veal are lacking. Here we compared the ability of qPCR and a molecular based most probable number assay (MPN) to detect and enumerate EHEC from veal hides at the abattoir and the resulting pre-intervention carcasses.

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In the meat industry, a "high event period" (HEP) is defined as a time period during which commercial meat plants experience a higher than usual rate of Escherichia coli O157:H7 contamination. Genetic analysis indicated that within a HEP, most of the E. coli O157:H7 strains belong to a singular dominant strain type.

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Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli are a growing concern in the area of food safety, and the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service has identified the serotypes O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, O145, and O157 as adulterants in certain types of raw beef. The most relevant to human disease are the enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) strains that possess intimin (eae), Shiga toxin 1 and/or 2 (stx1-2), and in most cases the conserved pO157 or pO157 like virulence plasmid.

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Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) serotypes in veal have recently been recognized as a problem. Because hides are considered to be the principal source of EHEC and hide interventions have been shown to be very efficacious in the control of EHEC in beef processing plants, various hide-directed intervention strategies have been implemented in several veal processing plants to mitigate contamination. We evaluated the effectiveness of three different hide interventions used at veal processing plants: A, a water rinse followed by a manual curry comb of the hide; B, application of 200 ppm of chlorine followed by a hot water rinse; and C, a 5-min treatment with chlorine foam followed by a rinse with 180 to 200 ppm of acidified sodium chlorite.

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We investigated the mechanisms of osmoadaptation in the order Halobacteriales, with special emphasis on Haladaptatus paucihalophilus, known for its ability to survive in low salinities. H. paucihalophilus genome contained genes for trehalose synthesis (trehalose-6-phosphate synthase/trehalose-6-phosphatase (OtsAB pathway) and trehalose glycosyl-transferring synthase pathway), as well as for glycine betaine uptake (BCCT family of secondary transporters and QAT family of ABC transporters).

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Analysis of the Coxiella burnetii RSA 493 (Nine Mile phase I strain) genome revealed ORFs with significant homology to the type IVB secretion system (T4BSS) of Legionella pneumophila. The T4BSS genes exist primarily at two loci, designated regions I (RI) and II. In C.

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Coxiella burnetii is a Gram-negative pleomorphic bacterium and the causative agent of Q fever. During infection, the pathogen survives and replicates within a phagosome-like parasitophorous vacuole while influencing cellular functions throughout the host cell, indicating a capacity for effector protein secretion. Analysis of the C.

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