Publications by authors named "Laura Bashor"

SARS-CoV-2 rapidly adapts to new hosts following cross-species transmission; this is highly relevant as novel within-host variants have emerged following infection of susceptible wild and domestic animal species. Furthermore, SARS-CoV-2 transmission from animals (e.g.

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In late 2019, SARS-CoV-2 spilled-over from an animal host into humans, where it efficiently spread, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. Through both natural and experimental infections, we learned that many animal species are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. Importantly, animals in close proximity to humans, including companion, farmed, and those at zoos and aquariums, became infected, and many studies demonstrated transmission to/from humans in these settings.

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People living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) are a significant population globally. Research delineating our understanding of coinfections in PLWH is critical to care for those navigating infection with other pathogens. The recent COVID-19 pandemic underscored the urgent need for studying the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infections in therapy-controlled and uncontrolled immunodeficiency viral infections.

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Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is the domestic cat analogue of HIV infection in humans. Both viruses induce oral disease in untreated individuals, with clinical signs that include gingivitis and periodontal lesions. Oral disease manifestations in HIV patients are abated by highly effective combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), though certain oral manifestations persist despite therapy.

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SARS-CoV-2 (SARS2) infection of a novel permissive host species can result in rapid viral evolution. Data suggest that felids are highly susceptible to SARS2 infection, and species-specific adaptation following human-to-felid transmission may occur. We employed experimental infection and analysis of publicly available SARS2 sequences to observe variant emergence and selection in domestic cats.

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SARS-CoV-2 spillback from humans into domestic and wild animals has been well documented, and an accumulating number of studies illustrate that human-to-animal transmission is widespread in cats, mink, deer, and other species. Experimental inoculations of cats, mink, and ferrets have perpetuated transmission cycles. We sequenced full genomes of Vero cell-expanded SARS-CoV-2 inoculum and viruses recovered from cats ( = 6), dogs ( = 3), hamsters ( = 3), and a ferret ( = 1) following experimental exposure.

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Article Synopsis
  • Opportunistic pathogens form antibiotic-resistant biofilms that complicate infections in immunocompromised individuals, and the study highlights the role of small RNAs in this process.
  • The research shows that microRNA let-7b-5p, found in extracellular vesicles secreted by human airway epithelial cells, can inhibit key proteins that promote biofilm formation and enhance susceptibility to beta-lactam antibiotics.
  • The transfer of miRNAs from human cells to bacteria demonstrates a novel method of communication that could be leveraged in treatment strategies for chronic lung infections related to antibiotic resistance.
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Unlabelled: SARS-CoV-2 spillback from humans into domestic and wild animals has been well-documented. We compared variants of cell culture-expanded SARS-CoV-2 inoculum and virus recovered from four species following experimental exposure. Five nonsynonymous changes in nsp12, S, N and M genes were near fixation in the inoculum, but reverted to wild-type sequences in RNA recovered from dogs, cats and hamsters within 1-3 days post-exposure.

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Most quantitative PCR (qPCR) experiments report differential expression relative to the expression of one or more reference genes. Therefore, when experimental conditions alter reference gene expression, qPCR results may be compromised. Little is known about the magnitude of this problem in practice.

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Lyme disease is an emerging infectious disease of public health concern in the northeastern United States. The disease's vector, (Say) (Blacklegged Tick), has increased its range in the past twenty years. In its newly endemic northern range there have been few studies of the Blacklegged Tick's habitat associations.

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Article Synopsis
  • Tick microbiomes may influence how pathogens are transmitted, but the factors affecting their variation are not well understood.
  • This research focused on the role of different blood meal hosts in shaping the microbiome of Ixodes scapularis, the main tick vector for Lyme disease in the eastern U.S.
  • The study used DNA sequencing to reveal significant differences in the bacterial communities of ticks that fed from various wildlife hosts, highlighting the need to consider blood meal sources in understanding tick-borne pathogen dynamics.
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