Publications by authors named "R L Tillett"
Article Synopsis
- The black-legged tick, Ixodes scapularis, is a key vector for Lyme disease and other human pathogens, with its midgut playing a critical role in blood digestion and pathogen exposure.
- Researchers used a systems biology approach, including RNA and protein sequencing, to study the changes in tick midgut gene expression and proteins during various stages of blood feeding and digestion.
- The study identified 2,726 differentially expressed transcripts and 449 proteins; some genes were explored as potential vaccine targets, with gene knockdowns showing negative effects on tick physiology, suggesting new strategies for tick control.
Importance: Interpretation of wastewater surveillance data is potentially confounded in communities with mobile populations, so it is important to account for this issue when conducting wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE).
Objectives: To leverage spatial and temporal differences in wastewater whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data to quantify relative SARS-CoV-2 contributions from visitors to southern Nevada.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional wastewater surveillance study was performed during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 to February 2022) and included weekly influent wastewater samples that were analyzed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction to quantify SARS-CoV-2 RNA and WGS for identification of variants of concern.
Article Synopsis
- Real-time monitoring of infectious diseases in schools faces challenges like delayed reporting and limited resources, making wastewater surveillance a viable alternative for tracking pathogens.* -
- This study examined whether wastewater from six elementary schools could detect influenza A and B viruses, successfully identifying influenza A RNA in three schools that correlates with increased cases in the community.* -
- Genome sequencing revealed a specific vaccine-resistant strain of influenza A (H3N2) present, highlighting the potential of wastewater surveillance to improve local disease monitoring in educational settings.*
is a recently identified member of the Mitis group of streptococci. This species has been associated with infective endocarditis; however its mechanisms of pathogenesis and virulence are not fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the influence of the competence-stimulating peptide (CSP) and the competence regulon quorum-sensing circuitry (ComABCDE) on subsequent gene transcription and expression, as well as resultant phenotypes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDuring the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, infected patients presented with symptoms similar to bacterial pneumonias and were treated with antibiotics before confirmation of a bacterial or fungal co-infection. We reasoned that wastewater surveillance could reveal potential relationships between reduced antimicrobial stewardship, specifically misprescribing antibiotics to treat viral infections, and the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in an urban community. Here, we analyzed microbial communities and AMR profiles in sewage samples from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and a community shelter in Las Vegas, Nevada during a COVID-19 surge in December 2020.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF