2026-09-20T17:01:41Zhttps://dspace.mit.edu/server/oai/requestoai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/1134632026-06-17T14:47:15Zcom_1721.1_7582com_1721.1_7581col_1721.1_131022
James G. Fox.
Bandoro, Christopher.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology
2018-02-08T16:25:02Z
2018-02-08T16:25:02Z
2017
2017
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/113463
1019875628
Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology, 2017
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references.
Influenza A virus (IAV) is a global threat. Infections in humans and highly-pathogenic IAV outbreaks in livestock substantially burden the economy. All past pandemics of IAV in humans and outbreaks in livestock have origins in viruses that previously circulated among wild aquatic birds, which are the natural reservoir for the virus. IAV can also jump from wild birds into other animals including marine mammals. This thesis explores the effects of environmental compounds, including bacteria and pollutants, on the ecology of IAV. In the first study, I demonstrate that gastrointestinal tract bacterial isolates reduce the thermal stability of IAV. Moreover, bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), found on the exterior surfaces of bacteria, is sufficient to significantly decrease the stability of both human and avian viral strains at the physiological temperatures of their respective hosts. I also examine how subtype and host-origin of the viruses affect the extent to which IAV is susceptible to LPS and show that LPS binds directly to virions affecting their morphology. For my second project, I examine how environmental pollutants, specifically persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the context of marine mammals, affect the replication of IAV using an in vitro approach. While it is known that POPs can suppress the immune response in animals to increase susceptibility to infectious disease, I found that POPs interact with both host-cells, by altering gene expression, and virions directly, by damaging viral envelopes. Taken together, these results demonstrate that environmental compounds have the ability to modulate IAV infectivity by interacting indirectly with host's immune system and also directly with the virions. The studies presented in this thesis provide insights into IAV ecology by highlighting the potential risks of antibiotic overuse in livestock and the exposure of humans to pollutants.
by Christopher Bandoro.
Ph.D.
Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology
91 pages
eng
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.
http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
Biology.
Examining the effects of environmental compounds on influenza virus ecology
Thesis
application/pdf
2019-06-17T20:46:25Z
Publication
unknown
unknown
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<Abstract>Influenza A virus (IAV) is a global threat. Infections in humans and highly-pathogenic IAV outbreaks in livestock substantially burden the economy. All past pandemics of IAV in humans and outbreaks in livestock have origins in viruses that previously circulated among wild aquatic birds, which are the natural reservoir for the virus. IAV can also jump from wild birds into other animals including marine mammals. This thesis explores the effects of environmental compounds, including bacteria and pollutants, on the ecology of IAV. In the first study, I demonstrate that gastrointestinal tract bacterial isolates reduce the thermal stability of IAV. Moreover, bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), found on the exterior surfaces of bacteria, is sufficient to significantly decrease the stability of both human and avian viral strains at the physiological temperatures of their respective hosts. I also examine how subtype and host-origin of the viruses affect the extent to which IAV is susceptible to LPS and show that LPS binds directly to virions affecting their morphology. For my second project, I examine how environmental pollutants, specifically persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the context of marine mammals, affect the replication of IAV using an in vitro approach. While it is known that POPs can suppress the immune response in animals to increase susceptibility to infectious disease, I found that POPs interact with both host-cells, by altering gene expression, and virions directly, by damaging viral envelopes. Taken together, these results demonstrate that environmental compounds have the ability to modulate IAV infectivity by interacting indirectly with host's immune system and also directly with the virions. The studies presented in this thesis provide insights into IAV ecology by highlighting the potential risks of antibiotic overuse in livestock and the exposure of humans to pollutants.</Abstract>
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