The Relationship of Reproductive Hormones and Host Susceptibility to the Opportunistic Pathogen, Vibrio vulnificus

Search for this publication on Google Scholar
McKee, L. (2015). The Relationship of Reproductive Hormones and Host Susceptibility to the Opportunistic Pathogen, Vibrio vulnificus. Unc Charlotte Electronic Theses And Dissertations.
Download PDF

Analytics

75 views ◎
42 downloads ⇓


Abstract

It is commonly found that males show a higher susceptibility to infectious diseases. While the underlying mechanism for this sex difference is not fully understood, one significant contributing attribute is the presence of specific sex hormones- e.g. Testosterone, Estrogen, and Progesterone. These hormones have been shown to moderate immune function in both protective and suppressive capacities. These sex steroids also have a direct effect on bacterial metabolism, although the range of responses (proliferation or inhibition) appears to be bacterial species-specific. Vibrio vulnificus is one example of a bacterium that produces an infection exhibiting a significant sex difference, with 85% of cases being male. Previous studies have suggested that the presence of estradiol protects against endotoxic shock caused by the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of this bacterium, however, no studies have investigated the direct and indirect role of steroid hormones on the viability and proliferation of this bacteria in the bloodstream. The present study uses serum from rats as a model for septicemic infections. These sera were treated with different ratios of endogenous and exogenous sex hormones to determine the indirect and direct effect of viability of V. vulnificus in each condition, and survival assessed at various time points following bacterial inoculation. Results indicate that presence of hormones in the sera do not appear to be a regulatory element for survival of this bacterium continuously. After 24 hours, there were no significant differences observed among any of the experimental groups. There do appear to be minor significant variations of proliferation for one ratio and time and in male and female sera at early time points. The data presented gives us a further understanding the influence sex steroids may have on the viability of V. vulnificus, and suggests the investigation of alternative indirect effects of these hormones.

Details
Author

McKee, Leslie

Title

The Relationship of Reproductive Hormones and Host Susceptibility to the Opportunistic Pathogen, Vibrio vulnificus

Physical Description

1 online resource (51 pages) : PDF

Date

2015

Degree Granting Institution

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

It is commonly found that males show a higher susceptibility to infectious diseases. While the underlying mechanism for this sex difference is not fully understood, one significant contributing attribute is the presence of specific sex hormones- e.g. Testosterone, Estrogen, and Progesterone. These hormones have been shown to moderate immune function in both protective and suppressive capacities. These sex steroids also have a direct effect on bacterial metabolism, although the range of responses (proliferation or inhibition) appears to be bacterial species-specific. Vibrio vulnificus is one example of a bacterium that produces an infection exhibiting a significant sex difference, with 85% of cases being male. Previous studies have suggested that the presence of estradiol protects against endotoxic shock caused by the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of this bacterium, however, no studies have investigated the direct and indirect role of steroid hormones on the viability and proliferation of this bacteria in the bloodstream. The present study uses serum from rats as a model for septicemic infections. These sera were treated with different ratios of endogenous and exogenous sex hormones to determine the indirect and direct effect of viability of V. vulnificus in each condition, and survival assessed at various time points following bacterial inoculation. Results indicate that presence of hormones in the sera do not appear to be a regulatory element for survival of this bacterium continuously. After 24 hours, there were no significant differences observed among any of the experimental groups. There do appear to be minor significant variations of proliferation for one ratio and time and in male and female sera at early time points. The data presented gives us a further understanding the influence sex steroids may have on the viability of V. vulnificus, and suggests the investigation of alternative indirect effects of these hormones.

Genre

masters theses

Subjects--Topics

Biology
Microbiology
Endocrinology

Degree

M.S.

Keywords

Estrogen
Progesterone
Sex Disparity
Steroid Hormones
Testosterone
Vibrio

Subject Area

Biology

Advisor(s)

Oliver, Jim
Huet, Yvette

Committee Members

Warner, Jennifer

Degree Note

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2015.

Rights Statement

This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). For additional information, see http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/.

Rights Holder Information

Copyright is held by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Identifier

McKee_uncc_0694N_10815

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:1203