{"id":{"repo_id":"buffalo","oai_identifier":"oai:ubir.buffalo.edu:10477/86621"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/buffalo/oai:ubir.buffalo.edu:10477/86621","repository":{"repo_id":"buffalo","name":"Buffalo","base_url":"https://ubir.buffalo.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"The Role of Moraxella catarrhalis Biofilms in the Pathogenesis of Otitis Media","abstract":"Ph.D.","abstract_html":"Ph.D.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Bair, Kirsten; 0000-0003-0968-881X"],"institution":"State University of New York at Buffalo","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Campagnari, Anthony","Microbiology and Immunology"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-02-21T20:58:55Z","date_published":"2025-02-21T20:58:55Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:05:32Z","subjects":["microbiology"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10477/86621","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Campagnari, Anthony","Microbiology and Immunology"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Bair, Kirsten; 0000-0003-0968-881X"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-02-21T20:58:55Z","2020"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["State University of New York at Buffalo"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Text","Dissertation"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["microbiology"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10477/86621"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Ph.D.","Otitis media (OM) is a common childhood illness that presents a significant healthcare and financial burden worldwide. In the United States, OM affects 60% of children by 3 years of age, resulting in severe ear pain. The three primary causative agents of this disease are Moraxella catarrhalis, nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Collectively referred to as otopathogens, these bacterial species reside in the nasopharynx asymptomatically, providing a reservoir for opportunistic infection. Although the transition from asymptomatic colonization to active infection is not fully characterized, it is widely accepted that changes induced by viral upper respiratory infection are linked to the concurrent onset of OM. Complexities in this dynamic infection have led to poor treatment outcomes. Current standard of care is likely suffering due primarily to polymicrobial infections and biofilm-associated otopathogens. The work herein focuses on the polymicrobial interactions that occur during nasopharyngeal colonization. Extensive analysis was completed using an in vitro nasopharyngeal colonization model adapted to assess the primary otopathogens in various co-culture environments. This work provides insight into OM pathogenesis by dissecting the dual species and triple species relationships and characterizing the \"protective effect,\" a phenomenon that results in the persistence of the three primary otopathogens in a polymicrobial biofilm. This concept has important implications in recurrent infections and treatment susceptibility. We further sought to demonstrate the feasibility of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) as a treatment strategy for polymicrobial OM. The photosensitizer chlorin e6 was used in conjunction with a 405nm laser to treat polymicrobial biofilms in vitro. Treatment was able to significantly reduce polymicrobial biofilms with minimal drug incubation and laser exposure times, and photosensitizer concentrations as low as 10 μM. Parameters were further optimized using a double treatment approach. These data suggest that aPDT is a promising antimicrobial strategy that warrants further assessment in the future for treatment of OM.","**To request an accessible version of the file(s) associated with this item, contact library@buffalo.edu. Please include the item's persistent URL [http://hdl.handle.net/. . .] in your request.**"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Role of Moraxella catarrhalis Biofilms in the Pathogenesis of Otitis Media"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Campagnari, Anthony","Microbiology and Immunology"],"dc:creator":["Bair, Kirsten; 0000-0003-0968-881X"],"dc:date":["2025-02-21T20:58:55Z","2020"],"dc:description":["Ph.D.","Otitis media (OM) is a common childhood illness that presents a significant healthcare and financial burden worldwide. In the United States, OM affects 60% of children by 3 years of age, resulting in severe ear pain. The three primary causative agents of this disease are Moraxella catarrhalis, nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Collectively referred to as otopathogens, these bacterial species reside in the nasopharynx asymptomatically, providing a reservoir for opportunistic infection. Although the transition from asymptomatic colonization to active infection is not fully characterized, it is widely accepted that changes induced by viral upper respiratory infection are linked to the concurrent onset of OM. Complexities in this dynamic infection have led to poor treatment outcomes. Current standard of care is likely suffering due primarily to polymicrobial infections and biofilm-associated otopathogens. The work herein focuses on the polymicrobial interactions that occur during nasopharyngeal colonization. Extensive analysis was completed using an in vitro nasopharyngeal colonization model adapted to assess the primary otopathogens in various co-culture environments. This work provides insight into OM pathogenesis by dissecting the dual species and triple species relationships and characterizing the \"protective effect,\" a phenomenon that results in the persistence of the three primary otopathogens in a polymicrobial biofilm. This concept has important implications in recurrent infections and treatment susceptibility. We further sought to demonstrate the feasibility of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) as a treatment strategy for polymicrobial OM. The photosensitizer chlorin e6 was used in conjunction with a 405nm laser to treat polymicrobial biofilms in vitro. Treatment was able to significantly reduce polymicrobial biofilms with minimal drug incubation and laser exposure times, and photosensitizer concentrations as low as 10 μM. Parameters were further optimized using a double treatment approach. These data suggest that aPDT is a promising antimicrobial strategy that warrants further assessment in the future for treatment of OM.","**To request an accessible version of the file(s) associated with this item, contact library@buffalo.edu. Please include the item's persistent URL [http://hdl.handle.net/. . .] in your request.**"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["http://hdl.handle.net/10477/86621"],"dc:language":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["State University of New York at Buffalo"],"dc:rights":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."],"dc:subject":["microbiology"],"dc:title":["The Role of Moraxella catarrhalis Biofilms in the Pathogenesis of Otitis Media"],"dc:type":["Text","Dissertation"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:05:32Z"}