Publications by authors named "Candace D Blancett"

Antimicrobial resistance (AR) is one of the greatest threats to global health and is associated with higher treatment costs, longer hospital stays, and increased mortality. Current gold standard antimicrobial susceptibility tests (AST) rely on organism growth rates that result in prolonged time-to-answer for slow growing organisms. Changes in the cellular transcriptome can be rapid in the presence of stressors such as antibiotic pressure, providing the opportunity to develop AST towards transcriptomic signatures.

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  • The study examines the role of the MAVS protein in the immune response to Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) in mice, highlighting its involvement in type I interferon and proinflammatory responses.
  • MAVS-deficient mice were resistant to CCHFV infection when IFN-I signaling was active, but they experienced significant weight loss when IFN-I was blocked, indicating that MAVS plays a crucial role in mediating immune defense.
  • The findings suggest that targeting MAVS activation and cytokine production, particularly TNF-α signaling, could lead to new treatments for CCHFV infection, as MAVS-deficient mice showed limited liver injury and protection from
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Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a highly pathogenic tick-borne RNA virus prevalent in Asia, Europe, and Africa, and can cause a hemorrhagic disease (CCHF) in humans with mortality rates as high as 60%. A general lack of both effective medical countermeasures and a comprehensive understanding of disease pathogenesis is partly driven by an historical lack of viable CCHF animal models. Recently, a cynomolgous macaque model of CCHF disease was developed.

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  • Syrian hamsters can develop a deadly illness similar to human hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) when infected with Andes virus (ANDV), while Hantaan virus (HTNV) leads to an asymptomatic infection.
  • Researchers used NanoString technology to study 770 genes in the blood of these hamsters, revealing significant differences in immune response genes related to type I interferon, complement activation, and apoptosis pathways between the two virus infections.
  • The study found that ANDV delays the immune response, which may help the virus evade the host's defenses and worsen the disease; this research is the first of its kind and could lead to new treatment options for hantavirus infections.
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Ebola virus is a continuing threat to human populations, causing a virulent hemorrhagic fever disease characterized by dysregulation of both the innate and adaptive host immune responses. Severe cases are distinguished by an early, elevated pro-inflammatory response followed by a pronounced lymphopenia with B and T cells unable to mount an effective anti-viral response. The precise mechanisms underlying the dysregulation of the host immune system are poorly understood.

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Bacteria can circumvent the effect of antibiotics by transitioning to a poorly understood physiological state that does not involve conventional genetic elements of resistance. Here we examine antibiotic susceptibility with a Class A β-lactamase+ invasive strain of that was isolated from a lethal outbreak within laboratory colonies of monkeys. Bacterial responses to the ribosomal synthesis inhibitors streptomycin and doxycycline resulted in distinct proteomic adjustments that facilitated decreased susceptibility to each antibiotic.

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Development and implementation of rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing is critical for guiding patient care and improving clinical outcomes, especially in cases of sepsis. One approach to reduce the time-to-answer for antimicrobial susceptibility is monitoring the inhibition of DNA production, as differences in DNA concentrations are more quickly impacted compared to optical density changes in traditional antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Here, we use real-time PCR to rapidly determine antimicrobial susceptibility after short incubations with antibiotic.

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Sexual transmission of filoviruses was first reported in 1968 after an outbreak of Marburg virus (MARV) disease and recently caused flare-ups of Ebola virus disease in the 2013-2016 outbreak. How filoviruses establish testicular persistence and are shed in semen remain unknown. We discovered that persistent MARV infection of seminiferous tubules, an immune-privileged site that harbors sperm production, is a relatively common event in crab-eating macaques that survived infection after antiviral treatment.

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Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is used to observe the ultrastructure of viruses and other microbial pathogens with nanometer resolution. Most biological materials do not contain dense elements capable of scattering electrons to create an image; therefore, a negative stain, which places dense heavy metal salts around the sample, is required. In order to visualize viruses in suspension under the TEM they must be applied to small grids coated with a transparent surface only nanometers thick.

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Article Synopsis
  • The persistence of the Ebola virus (EBOV) in asymptomatic individuals and the health issues it causes have become major public health concerns following the 2013-2016 EVD outbreak in Western Africa.
  • Researchers discovered that EBOV can persist in immune-privileged sites, such as the eyes and brain, of asymptomatic rhesus monkeys, which survived the infection either naturally or after treatment.
  • The study highlights the role of certain immune cells (CD68 cells) as reservoirs for the virus in these areas and suggests that this monkey model can help advance understanding of EVD sequelae and inform the development of effective treatments for EBOV persistence.
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A method for accurate quantitation of virus particles has long been sought, but a perfect method still eludes the scientific community. Electron Microscopy (EM) quantitation is a valuable technique because it provides direct morphology information and counts of all viral particles, whether or not they are infectious. In the past, EM negative stain quantitation methods have been cited as inaccurate, non-reproducible, and with detection limits that were too high to be useful.

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Transmission electron microscopy can be used to observe the ultrastructure of viruses and other microbial pathogens with nanometer resolution. In a transmission electron microscope (TEM), the image is created by passing an electron beam through a specimen with contrast generated by electron scattering from dense elements in the specimen. Viruses do not normally contain dense elements, so a negative stain that places dense heavy metal salts around the sample is added to create a dark border.

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Background: The bacterium Burkholderia mallei is the etiological agent of glanders, a highly contagious, often fatal zoonotic infectious disease that is also a biodefense concern. Clinical laboratory assays that analyze blood or other biological fluids are the highest priority because these specimens can be collected with minimal risk to the patient. However, progress in developing sensitive assays for monitoring B.

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