• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
ERN: Emerging Researchers National Conference in STEM

ERN: Emerging Researchers National Conference in STEM

  • About
    • About AAAS
    • About the NSF
    • About the Conference
    • Partners/Supporters
    • Project Team
  • Conference
  • Abstracts
    • Undergraduate Abstract Locator
    • Graduate Abstract Locator
    • Abstract Submission Process
    • Presentation Schedules
    • Abstract Submission Guidelines
    • Presentation Guidelines
  • Travel Awards
  • Resources
    • Award Winners
    • Code of Conduct-AAAS Meetings
    • Code of Conduct-ERN Conference
    • Conference Agenda
    • Conference Materials
    • Conference Program Books
    • ERN Photo Galleries
    • Events | Opportunities
    • Exhibitor Info
    • HBCU-UP/CREST PI/PD Meeting
    • In the News
    • NSF Harassment Policy
    • Plenary Session Videos
    • Professional Development
    • Science Careers Handbook
    • Additional Resources
    • Archives
  • Engage
    • Webinars
    • ERN 10-Year Anniversary Videos
    • Plenary Session Videos
  • Contact Us
  • Login

Does Oxidative Stress Increase Susceptibility to Bacillus Anthracis Surrogates?

Undergraduate #21
Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Physiology and Health

Jelonia Rumph - Florida Memorial University
Co-Author(s): Frank Harris, Emory Children's Center, Atlanta, GA; Lou Ann Brown, Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.



Background: Anthrax is an infection caused by Bacillus anthracis. The clinical forms include: cutaneous, ingestion, injection and inhalation. There have been 24 documented cases of inhalation anthrax since the mid-20th century. 15 out of 24 patients died; 10 out of those 15 had an underlying chronic disease associated with oxidative stress. During inhalation anthrax, alveolar macrophages (AM) coordinate the immune responses. However, recent studies have shown that AM phagocytic index (PI), an indicator of microbe clearance, is decreased when they are exposed to oxidative stress.
Aims/Hypothesis: We aimed to investigate the role of oxidative stress in the susceptibility to anthrax. We hypothesized: AM exposed to oxidative stress will have a significantly decreased PI than control AM, but if oxidative stress AM are treated with arginine then their PI will improve.
Methods/Results: Using alcohol abuse as a model of oxidant stress, MH-S cell lines were cultured for 3 days in MH-S media, MH-S media/ethanol, MH-S media/arginine, or MH-S media/ethanol/arginine. Samples were exposed to Bacillus cereus spores and the PI was calculated and statistically analyzed. There was a significant difference between the MH-S media and the MH-S media/ethanol group. The P value calculated from the difference between these groups was 0.036269.
Conclusion: Oxidative stress decreases the PI of AM, hence increasing anthrax susceptibility. Arginine treatment provides a supply of precursors for antioxidant synthesis and improves the PI of oxidative stress AM. Future studies will include use of the Sterne strain of Bacillus anthracis.

Funder Acknowledgement(s): Project IMHOTEP, Center's for Disease Control CUPS

Faculty Advisor: Lou Ann Brown, PhD., lbrow03@emory.edu

Role: While conducting this research I was responsible for spiting and plating the cell lines. I was also responsible for synthesizing the MH-S media required for the Alveolar Macrophages. Once the cell were plated I exposed to Alveolar Macrophages to oxidative stress daily, using a ethanol/MH-S media solution, over a period of three days. I then exposed the cells to Bacillus cereus spores and incubated the slides for two hours. I then exposed the cells to a fluorescent antibody that tagged the spores and fixed the slides. Once the slides were fixed, I viewed them under the microscope capturing fluorescent and bright field images of various field of views. From the micrographs, I calculated the phagocytic index, and the relative florescent units per cell then ran statistical analyses.

Sidebar

Abstract Locators

  • Undergraduate Abstract Locator
  • Graduate Abstract Locator

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. DUE-1930047. Any opinions, findings, interpretations, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of its authors and do not represent the views of the AAAS Board of Directors, the Council of AAAS, AAAS’ membership or the National Science Foundation.

AAAS

1200 New York Ave, NW
Washington,DC 20005
202-326-6400
Contact Us
About Us

  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

The World’s Largest General Scientific Society

Useful Links

  • Membership
  • Careers at AAAS
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Focus Areas

  • Science Education
  • Science Diplomacy
  • Public Engagement
  • Careers in STEM

Focus Areas

  • Shaping Science Policy
  • Advocacy for Evidence
  • R&D Budget Analysis
  • Human Rights, Ethics & Law

© 2023 American Association for the Advancement of Science