Development of Diagnostic Assays for Melioidosis, Tularemia, Plague and COVID19
type: CreativeWork
description: Infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic organisms which can be spread throughout communities by direct and indirect contact. Burkholderia pseudomallei, Francisella tularenisis, and Yersinia pestis are the causative agents of melioidosis, tularemia and plague, respectively. These bacteria pertain to the United States of America Federal Select Agent Program as they are associated with high mortality rates, lack of medical interventions and are potential agents of bioterrorism. The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has resulted in a global pandemic due to the highly infectious nature and elevated virulence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Proper diagnosis of these infections is warranted to administer appropriate medical care and minimize further spreading. Current practices of diagnosing melioidosis, tularemia, plague and COVID-19 are inadequate due to limited resources and the untimely nature of the techniques. Commonly, diagnosing an infectious disease is by the direct detection of the causative agent. Isolation by bacterial culture is the gold standard for melioidosis, tularemia and plague infections; detection of SAR-CoV-2 nucleic acid by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the gold standard for diagnosing COVID-19. These techniques, however, can often be time consuming and require laboratory equipment and trained individuals not readily available in low-technology settings. The present dissertation outlines the development of alternative diagnostic assays for melioidosis, tularemia, plague, and COVID-19 as three sections: (I) Diagnostic Target Identification, (II) Immunoassay Development, (III) Evaluation of ImmunoassaysFirst, the identifications of circulating B. pseudomallei and F. tularensis proteins in clinical specimens were performed using a multi-armed approach to determine putative biomarkers of melioidosis and tularemia. The approach consisted of three methods for identifying circulating bacterial p…
abstract: Infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic organisms which can be spread throughout communities by direct and indirect contact. Burkholderia pseudomallei, Francisella tularenisis, and Yersinia pestis are the causative agents of melioidosis, tularemia and plague, respectively. These bacteria pertain to the United States of America Federal Select Agent Program as they are associated with high mortality rates, lack of medical interventions and are potential agents of bioterrorism. The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has resulted in a global pandemic due to the highly infectious nature and elevated virulence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Proper diagnosis of these infections is warranted to administer appropriate medical care and minimize further spreading. Current practices of diagnosing melioidosis, tularemia, plague and COVID-19 are inadequate due to limited resources and the untimely nature of the techniques. Commonly, diagnosing an infectious disease is by the direct detection of the causative agent. Isolation by bacterial culture is the gold standard for melioidosis, tularemia and plague infections; detection of SAR-CoV-2 nucleic acid by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the gold standard for diagnosing COVID-19. These techniques, however, can often be time consuming and require laboratory equipment and trained individuals not readily available in low-technology settings. The present dissertation outlines the development of alternative diagnostic assays for melioidosis, tularemia, plague, and COVID-19 as three sections: (I) Diagnostic Target Identification, (II) Immunoassay Development, (III) Evaluation of ImmunoassaysFirst, the identifications of circulating B. pseudomallei and F. tularensis proteins in clinical specimens were performed using a multi-armed approach to determine putative biomarkers of melioidosis and tularemia. The approach consisted of three methods for identifying circulating bacterial p…
author: Hau, Derrick
date published: 2020
date modified: 2026-07-27T21:46:30Z
provider: University of Nevada - Reno
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Nevada - Reno

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/11714/7702