The paper investigates E. coli strains from cancer patients with diarrhea, finding novel adherence patterns and high antibiotic resistance gene carriage.

bioRxiv · May 31, 2023 · PreprintMicrobiology

Progress toward the development of an effective vaccine for Extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC): The application of the multiple-protein subunits vaccine in different murine models

Y. Xing, J. R. Clark, J. D. Chang, J. J. Zulk, D. M. Chirman, F.-A. Piedra, K. A. Patras, A. W. Maresso

This study evaluates pro-HlyA and Dual-Hit as vaccine candidates against ExPEC, showing reduced bacterial burden and increased survival in murine models.

bioRxiv · May 31, 2023 · PreprintMicrobiology

Phage resistance accompanies reduced fitness of uropathogenic E. coli in the urinary environment

J. J. Zulk, J. R. Clark, S. Ottinger, M. B. Ballard, M. E. Mejia, V. Mercado, E. R. Heckmann, B. C. Sanchez, B. W. Trautner, A. W. Maresso, K. A. Patras

This study shows that phage resistance in UPEC arises quickly in the urinary environment but comes with fitness costs that reduce bacterial growth and virulence.

bioRxiv · Dec 2, 2021 · PreprintMicrobiology

The human nose organoid respiratory virus model: an ex-vivo human challenge model to study RSV and SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and evaluate therapeutics

A. Rajan, A. M. Weaver, G. M. Alosio, J. Jelinski, H. L. Johnson, S. F. Venable, T. McBride, L. Aideyan, F.-A. Piedra, X. Ye, E. Melicoff-Portillo, M. R. K. Yerramilli, X.-L. Zeng, M. A. Mancini, F. Stossi, , P. A. Piedra

This paper develops a non-invasive human nose organoid model to study RSV and SARS-CoV-2 infection and test therapeutics like palivizumab.

bioRxiv · Jul 28, 2021Microbiology

Metabolic profiling reveals nutrient preferences during carbon utilization in Bacillus species

J. D. Chang, E. E. Vaughan, C. Gu Liu, J. W. Jelinski, A. L. Terwilliger, A. W. Maresso

This study uses metabolic profiling to compare carbon utilization preferences among Bacillus species and related pathogens, revealing distinct metabolic strategies linked to their ecological niches.

bioRxiv · Sep 1, 2020Microbiology

Phage-Antibiotic Synergy Is Driven By A Unique Combination Of Antibacterial Mechanism Of Action And Stoichiometry

C. Gu Liu, S. I. Green, L. Min, J. R. Clark, K. C. Salazar, A. L. Terwilliger, H. Kaplan, B. Trautner, R. F. Ramig, A. W. Maresso

This paper investigates phage-antibiotic synergy by analyzing interactions across antibiotic classes and stoichiometries, finding that synergy depends on antibiotic mechanism, phage burst size, and host environment.

mBio · Aug 25, 2020Peer-reviewedMicrobiology

Targeting of Mammalian Glycans Enhances Phage Predation in the Gastrointestinal Tract

S. I. Green, C. Gu Liu, M. Yu, S. Gibson, W. Salmen, A. Rajan, H. E. Carter, J. R. Clark, X. Song, R. F. Ramig, B. W. Trautner, H. B. Kaplan, A. W. Maresso

This paper describes a phage that targets human glycans to enhance its activity in the gastrointestinal tract by positioning it near bacterial hosts.

bioRxiv · Jul 20, 2020Microbiology