Dysregulated TFH cell and germinal center activation in mice with severe Orientia tsutsugamushi infection

Scrub typhus is a severely understudied tropical disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi. It is endemic in, but not limited to, the Asia-Pacific region, with about one million cases reported every year. Its high case fatality rates and impact during WWII and the Vietnam War justify vaccine development; however, little is known regarding B cell responses or B/T cell crosstalk during infection. Our transcriptomic analyses of mouse spleens at a severe disease stage have revealed widespread alterations in B cell function. Our central hypothesis is that impaired expression of B cell-regulating cytokines and transcriptional factors accounts for dysregulated B cell activation during severe scrub typhus. This thesis contains the first study of cellular/molecular mechanisms underlying B cell dysfunction during infection in mouse models. It will help elucidate disease pathogenesis and the observation of “poor immune memory” known to be associated with scrub typhus.

Name thesis:degree_name

Experimental Pathology (Masters)

Grantor

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

Year dc:date.issued

2021

Author dc:creator

• Card, Galen Edward

• Biology, Microbiology

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2152.3/12615

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:utmb-ir.tdl.org:2152.3/12615