Cellular Dynamics and Disease Outcome of Type 3 Streptococcus pneumoniae Clinical Isolates Differ Between Strains

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a bacterial pathogen that continues to be a major cause of disease around the world. It is not only the number one cause of bacterial pneumonia but also the cause of about 15% of the deaths of children under 5 around the world. There is a lot of research done on this organism, but with around 100 known serotypes and each one producing a unique capsule, there is still much more to be studied. The Etiology of Pneumonia in the Community (EPIC) study conducted by the CDC observed the burden of hospitalizations caused by pneumonia while determining the organism responsible. One of the most common organisms isolated from both children and adult patients was S. pneumoniae. To look further into these clinical isolates, we chose three different type 3 pneumococcal isolates and observed the immune cellular dynamics as well as capsule production, and saw that even with the same serotype immune responses can differ.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Biomedical Sciences

Year dc:date.available

2022

Author dc:creator

• White, Taylor Rae Plunkett

Contributors dc:contributor

• Amber M. Smith, PhD

• Bacteria
• Immunology
• Microbiology
• Streptococcus pneumoniae
• Bacterial Infections and Mycoses
• Medical Immunology
• Medical Microbiology
• Medical Sciences
• Medicine and Health Sciences

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dc.uthsc.edu/dissertations/583

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dc.uthsc.edu:dissertations-1583