c Yersinia enterocolitica is typically considered an extracellular pathogen; however, during the course of an infection, a significant number of bacteria are stably maintained within host cell vacuoles. Little is known about this population and the role it plays during an infection. To address this question and to elucidate the spatially and temporally dynamic gene expression patterns of Y. enterocolitica biovar 1B through the course of an in vitro infection, transcriptome sequencing and differential gene expression analysis of bacteria infecting murine macrophage cells were performed under four distinct conditions. Bacteria were first grown in a nutrient-rich medium at 26°C to establish a baseline of gene expression that is unrelated to infection. The transcriptomes of these bacteria were then compared to bacteria grown in a conditioned cell culture medium at 37°C to identify genes that were differentially expressed in response to the increased temperature and medium but not in response to host cells. Infections were then performed, and the transcriptomes of bacteria found on the extracellular surface and intracellular compartments were analyzed individually. The upregulated genes revealed potential roles for a variety of systems in promoting intracellular virulence, including the Ysa type III secretion system, the Yts2 type II secretion system, and the Tad pilus. It was further determined that mutants of each of these systems had decreased virulence while infecting macrophages. Overall, these results reveal the complete set of genes expressed by Y. enterocolitica in response to infection and provide the groundwork for future virulence studies.T he genus Yersinia includes three species that are pathogenic to humans: Y. pestis, the causative agent of the plague, as well as Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis, both of which cause gastrointestinal diseases. Of the three organisms, Y. enterocolitica is the species most frequently isolated from humans (1). Y. enterocolitica infections are typically acquired through ingestion of the bacteria in contaminated food or water, especially raw or undercooked pork products (2). After ingestion, the bacteria travel through the gastrointestinal tract to the terminal ileum, where they are able to penetrate the M cells of the Peyer's patches and infect the mesenteric lymph nodes (1-3). This leads to a self-limiting gastroenteritis and mesenteric lymphadenitis in otherwise healthy patients (3). In immunocompromised patients or young children with developing immune systems, the bacteria can spread from the lymph nodes to systemic sites, leading to potentially fatal septicemia (1). Over half of all reported Y. enterocolitica infections occur in children under the age of five, the group that is most predisposed to developing the systemic form of the infection (4).Pathogenic Y. enterocolitica isolates can be divided into six distinct biovars based on several biochemical and physiological attributes (2, 5). Of the six biovars, the North American isolate, biovar 1B, is the most...

Advances in molecular biology, microfluidics, and laboratory automation continue to expand the accessibility and applicability of these methods beyond the confines of conventional, centralized laboratory facilities and into point of use roles in clinical, military, forensic, and field-deployed applications. As a result, there is a growing need to adapt the unit operations of molecular biology (e.g., aliquoting, centrifuging, mixing, and thermal cycling) to compact, portable, low-power, and automation-ready formats. Here we present one such adaptation, the rotary zone thermal cycler (RZTC), a novel wheel-based device capable of cycling up to four different fixed-temperature blocks into contact with a stationary 4-microliter capillary-bound sample to realize 1-3 second transitions with steady state heater power of less than 10 W. We demonstrate the utility of the RZTC for DNA amplification as part of a highly integrated rotary zone PCR (rzPCR) system that uses low-volume valves and syringe-based fluid handling to automate sample loading and unloading, thermal cycling, and between-run cleaning functionalities in a compact, modular form factor. In addition to characterizing the performance of the RZTC and the efficacy of different online cleaning protocols, we present preliminary results for rapid single-plex PCR, multiplex short tandem repeat (STR) amplification, and second strand cDNA synthesis.

No abstract

Traditional bacterial analyses take one to two days under favorable conditions where the bulk of the time is spent waiting for bacteria to divide and grow until visual colonies can be observed for identification. In the case of bacteria with slow doubling times, this process can take weeks. This delay in analysis is unacceptable, especially in cases of life threatening diseases or emergencies. It is clear that in order to decrease the analysis time of the bacteria, the culturing and growth step must be circumvented. The goal of this research is to design, build, and test a device that could decrease the analysis time of bacteria using label-free methods of dielectrophoresis and Raman spectroscopy.Testing for device design was performed with clinical samples in mind, which consist of bacteria grown in a variety of environmental conditions (i.e. available food sources, growth stage, temperature, etc.) and accompanied by sample debris. Raman spectra of bacteria grown in varying media and metabolic stages were collected and analyzed. Results indicate that growth phase and media have an impact on Raman spectra iv and is distinguishable by linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Despite these spectral differences, it was found that LDA classification of closely related bacteria remains fairly high (90%) regardless of growth phase. Sample debris were also considered in device design and accommodated for by dielectrophoresis. Devices were built with the goal to isolate bacteria from a mixed sample and simultaneously acquire Raman spectra for identification.For this dissertation, a device was designed, built, and tested that incorporates dielectrophoresis for particle isolation and Raman spectroscopy for identification. The device was modeled in COMSOL to ensure that an appropriate electrical field gradient could be obtained to isolate bacteria from 5 µm diameter polystyrene spheres. The device was built and successfully trapped bacteria away from polystyrene spheres and Raman spectra of the bacteria were collected while trapped. These results indicate a clear potential for contactless dielectrophoresis-Raman devices to isolate and identify bacteria from sample debris, and thereby decrease the analysis time of bacteria. Typical bacterial analysis involves culturing and visualizing colonies on an array of agar plates. The growth patterns and colors among the array are used to identify the bacteria. For fast growing bacteria such as Escherichia coli, analysis will take one to two days. However, slow growing bacteria such as mycobacteria can take weeks to identify.In addition, there are some species of bacteria that are viable but nonculturable. This lengthy analysis time is unacceptable for life-threatening infections and emergency situations. It is clear that to decrease the analysis of the bacteria, the culturing and growth steps must be avoided. The goal of this research is to design, build, and test a device that could decrease the analysis time of bacteria.