July 2013
Vol. 10 | No. 5

Spotlight

Charlie Calisher's new Book!

Lifting the Impenetrable Veil

Move over Dan Brown – there’s a new hot summer read in town. We strongly advise all readers to stop perusing the MIPnews and go directly to this website to pick up this terrific new book that was published earlier this month from our own Charlie Calisher. You won’t be disappointed.

While the title is borrowed from a phrase used in a letter from Walter Reed to his wife describing a breakthrough in understanding the transmission of yellow fever, the rest of this new novel is 100% Charlie Calisher at his best. The work is described by several well-known virologists as "an ode to science" and "a special perspective" that is full of "priceless gems" that are presented by a "witty raconteur" with a "timely" and "self-deprecating" sense of humor. "Start reading it and you won’t stop".

Congratulations Charlie on a job well done! Plus we’ll be sure to add the term ‘raconteur’ to the list of names that we’ve heard you called over the years…


American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine

The 2013 ACLAM Board Examination was administered on June 29. Tina Weiner and Liz Magden, who completed the CSU Lab Animal Comparative Medicine Residency in 2010 and 2011, respectively, sat for the exam, though as you can see by Tina's condition in this post-examination photo, she probably did not sit comfortably...

Tina and Liz after the Exam

Both Tina and Liz passed the examination, making the CSU program 3 for 3 in passing the exam at first attempt!

Tina gave birth to a 9 lb 9 oz boy, Silas Matthew, at 4:12AM on 7/8/13. They are both doing great, especially since they heard the outcome of the exam results.


Phillida CharleyCongratulations to Phillida Charley, second year PhD student in the Wilusz lab, on recently receiving scholarship awards from both the Native Women in Science Foundation as well as a Navajo Nation Scholarship.


NIH Logo

Dr. Ramesh Akkina has been appointed as a standing member of the AIDS Discovery and Development of Ramesh AkkinaTherapeutics Study Section at the Center for Scientific Review, National Institutes of Health. He has previously been a member of this study section and has also served as Chair.

In addition, we are very pleased to announce that the following paper from the Akkina Lab (which was highlighted as an MIPublication of the Month in January) has been selected for special recognition as a ‘Faculty of 1000 Recommended Article’ : In Vivo Blockade of the PD-1 Receptor Suppresses HIV-1 Viral Loads and Improves CD4+ T Cell Levels in Humanized Mice., Journal of Immunology, 2013. Congratulations Ramesh!


Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Dr. Herbert Schweizer Herbert Schweizergave an invited lecture at the Advanced Bacterial Genetics 2013 course at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory which was held in Cold Spring Harbor, NY, from June 5-25. He was one of nine invited lecturers in this course that is rich in history. Advanced Bacterial Genetics has its roots in and is the continuation of an intensive phage genetics course that was first taught at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory by pioneer of phage and bacterial genetics and Nobel Prize winner Max Delbrück in the summer of 1945. The now 68 year old course is taught in the Max Delbrück Laboratory on the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory campus and this year’s 18 attendees ranged from graduate student to Associate Professor and hailed from six countries. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory opened in 1890 and its pivotal contributions to the field of microbiology were honored last year by designation as a Milestones in Microbiology site by the American Society for Microbiology.


Thank you

A hearty thank you to the hardworking MIP Administrative and Accounting Staff for all you do on a daily basis to keep the department moving forward. Most of all, thanks for the extra effort you put in at fiscal year end when their hours are long, workloads heavy, and deadlines short. It is recognized and appreciated!


In the News...

CSU Tuberculosis Researchers were highlighted in the online publication, News Medical, in the July 5 article, Collaborative research yields a wiring map on how TB responds to changes in environment

Diane Ordway, Randall Basaraba, and Ian Orme's tuberculosis research in South Africa was highlighted in the June 18 Coloradoan in the article, "CSU scientists bringing humans, guinea pigs together for TB tests", as well as the June 18 InnovatioNews article, "CSU researchers launch 'most realistic' study of how tuberculosis pathogen is transmitted", and in the July 23 North Forty News article, "CSU researchers launch novel investigation into tuberculosis transmission"

Patrick Brennan was quoted in the July 13 Science News article, "Leprosy bacterium changed little in last millennium"


Micro Undergrads
In the News...

Microbiology Senior, Victoria Frank and recent Microbiology graduate, Keifer Walsh were highlighted in the July 2nd Today@ColoradoState article, "Undergrads claim top honors for research into public health and degenerative brain disease".


pub highlight

The BpeEF-OprC efflux pump is responsible for widespread trimethoprim resistance in clinical and environmental Burkholderia pseudomallei isolates

Nicole Podnecky, Vanaporn Wuthiekanun, Sharon Peacock and Herbert Schweizer

Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. doi:10.1128/AAC.00660-13 (published online July 1)

Imagine 100+ years ago trying to figure out anything about a disease with an extraordinarily wide range of symptoms that can appear anywhere between two weeks to 62 years after exposure to the causative agent?  Hence I propose a tip of the proverbial MIP hat to Major Alfred Whitmore, the English pathologist who first described meliodosis as a disease caused by a gram negative bacterium called Burkholderia pseudomallei.    This pathogen can be found in the soil and water in many tropical/sub-tropical locales.  Treating infections with this bug requires ~2 weeks of ceftazdine antibiotic followed by up to 20 weeks of treatment with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (a pair of antibiotics that inhibit different enzymes in folic acid biosynthesis) to prevent relapse.  There are clear indications of antibiotic resistance of B. pseudomallei, so studies need to be done to determine just how prevalent drug resistance is in clinical isolates and what the mechanisms might be.

Nicole and company gathered 60 clinical/environmental isolates from Thailand and 6 from the Land Down Under.  Scaringly (if that’s a word – if it’s not, it should be….), 47% of the clinical isolates from Thailand and 60% of the Australian bugs were resistant to trimethoprim.  Luckily none were resistant to sulfamethoxazole (so the bacterial isolates are still susceptible to the combination therapy used to prevent relapses).  Based on sequencing 9 strains, they found no mutations in the dihydrofolate reducatase enzyme target of trimethoprim which would account for resistance.  Turning their attention to the BpeEF-OprC efflux pump (which plays a role in trimethorprim resistance in the related Pseudomonas species and has been implicated in antibiotic resistance in other Burkholderia sp.), the group found no mutations that would likely account for increased resistance.  However upon analyzing the expression of the mRNA for the efflux pump, they were undoubtedly disappointed to find no differences among resistant or susceptible isolates grown in normal media,  However when they grew the bugs in the presence of trimethoprim, resistant isolates had a 3-6X fold higher level of expression of the efflux pump.  What is regulating this dramatic and clinically-significant increase efflux pump expression is unclear – and undoubtedly a topic for their next grant/paper.

So why did we choose this treatise as our coveted MIPublicaton of the Month® for July?   First, the study moves beyond theoretical issues involving antibiotic resistance and provides clear documentation of a very real drug resistance concern in a relatively large survey of clinical isolates.  In addition, it goes beyond the descriptive stage and provides insight into the underlying mechanism of resistance which may prove very useful down the road in determining strategies to combat resistance.  Second, the study nicely illustrates the international flavor of MIP research with collaborators from both Bangkok and the UK.  Finally, the study allows us a nice starting point to kick off our ‘C’mon Folks Let’s Come Up With Catchier Scientific Names®’ Campaign.  BpeEF-OprC doesn’t exactly roll off of the tongue now does it……..


MIP Publications July 2013

Flores AE, Ponce G, Silva BG, Gutierrez SM, Bobadilla C, Lopez B, Mercado R, Black WC 4th.  Wide spread cross resistance to pyrethroids in Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) from Veracruz state Mexico.  J Econ Entomol. 2013 Apr;106(2):959-69.

Jackson M, McNeil MR, Brennan PJ.  Progress in targeting cell envelope biogenesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.  Future Microbiol. 2013 Jul;8:855-75. doi: 10.2217/fmb.13.52.

Dailey DD, Anfinsen KP, Pfaff LE, Ehrhart E, Charles JB, Bønsdorff TB, Thamm DH, Powers BE, Jonasdottir TJ, Duval DL.  HES1, a target of Notch signaling, is elevated in canine osteosarcoma, but reduced in the most aggressive tumors.  BMC Vet Res. 2013 Jul 1;9(1):130. [Epub ahead of print]

Yoshikawa H, Ehrhart EJ, Charles JB, Custis JT, Larue SM.  Assessment of predictive molecular variables in feline oral squamous cell carcinoma treated with stereotactic radiation therapy.  Vet Comp Oncol. 2013 Jul 2. doi: 10.1111/vco.12050. [Epub ahead of print]

Clarke L, Simon A, Ehrhart EJ, Mulick J, Charles B, Powers B, Duncan C.  Histologic Characteristics and KIT Staining Patterns of Equine Cutaneous Mast Cell Tumors.  Vet Pathol. 2013 Jun 21. [Epub ahead of print]

Myers E, Ehrhart EJ, Charles B, Spraker T, Gelatt T, Duncan C.  Apoptosis in Normal and Coxiella burnetii-Infected Placentas From Alaskan Northern Fur Seals (Callorhinus ursinus).  Vet Pathol. 2013 Jul;50(4):622-5.

Eisen L, Moore CG.  Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti in the continental United States: a vector at the cool margin of its geographic range.  J Med Entomol. 2013 May;50(3):467-78.

Gonzalez-Juarrero M, Bosco-Lauth A, Podell B, Soffler C, Brooks E, Izzo A, Sanchez-Campillo J, Bowen R.  Experimental aerosol Mycobacterium bovis model of infection in goats.  Tuberculosis (Edinb). 2013 Jul 10. doi:pii: S1472-9792(13)00101-7. 10.1016/j.tube.2013.05.006. [Epub ahead of print]

Epple LM, Bemis LT, Cavanaugh RP, Skope A, Mayer-Sonnenfeld T, Frank C, Olver CS, Lencioni AM, Dusto NL, Tal A, Har-Noy M, Lillehei KO, Katsanis E, Graner MW.  Prolonged remission of advanced bronchoalveolar adenocarcinoma in a dog treated with autologous, tumour-derived chaperone-rich cell lysate (CRCL) vaccine.  Int J Hyperthermia. 2013 Jun 20. [Epub ahead of print]

Orme IM.  Vaccine development for tuberculosis: current progress.  Drugs. 2013 Jul;73(10):1015-24. doi: 10.1007/s40265-013-0081-8.

Podnecky NL, Wuthiekanun V, Peacock SJ, Schweizer HP.  The BpeEF-OprC efflux pump is responsible for widespread trimethoprim resistance in clinical and environmental Burkholderia pseudomallei isolates.  Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2013 Jul 1. [Epub ahead of print]

Orlova, M., A. Cobat, N. T. Huong, N. N. Ba, N. V. Thuc, V. M. Fava, R. W. Truman, J. S. Spencer, Y. Nédélec, L. Barreiro, V. H. Thai, A. Alcaïs, and E. Schurr. 2013.  Gene set signature of reversal reaction type I in leprosy patients. PloS Genetics  In press.

Happenings

Mark Your Calendars!

ASV2014

Next June, we’ll be hosting the large (1,200+ participant) 33rd Annual meeting of the American Society for Virology right here on the CSU campus! Please mark your calendars for this special, can’t-be-missed event. Also – we’ll be looking for numerous (50+) volunteers to help with numerous AV/customer service aspects of this event – so please consider helping us out when asked.

This is a golden opportunity to showcase MIP’s infectious disease expertise and high-quality environment to a large international group of experts in the field. We’ll definitely need the collective help of the MIP community to make this a truly special meeting. For further information on the event, please contact Jeff Wilusz (local lead organizer) at jeffrey.wilusz@colostate.edu.


Expanding Prion Horizons 2013

Mark Your Calendars!

The Prion Research Center will be hosting a conference this year: "Expanding Prion Horizons", October 16-18 at the University Center for the Arts. For more information, visit the Expanding Prion Horizons 2013 Registration Webpage.


MRL Conference 5K

Check out photos from the Mycobacteria Conference 5K Run/Walk. Contact Erin Napier if you'd like to get a full-size copy of any of the photos.


Mark Your Calendars!

RMVC Annual Meeting 2013

Go to the Rocky Mountain Virology Club website for more information.


Welcome New Residents
Greta KrafsurGreta Krafsur
Anatomic Pathology

Originally from Estelline, South Dakota, Greta has been living in Fort Collins for the past 10 years. Her research interests include swine infectious diseases, bovine respiratory disease, and Arctic marine mammal histopathology. She absolutely loves spending her free time in the Arctic wilderness, going subsistence hunting for seals and walruses with my Inupiat eskimo friends. She also enjoys flying, World War II aviation, and watching her 3 teenage sons play sports---and driving them everywhere!
Jennifer MalmbergJennifer Malmberg
Anatomic Pathology

Jennifer came to Fort Collins 5 years ago from Nebraska. She is interested in studying wildlife disease, emerging infectious diseases, and global health. When not studying she participates in trail running, hiking and camping with her husband and three dogs, traveling, and reading.
Lauren RadakovichLauren Radakovich
Clinical Pathology

Lauren is new to the Fort Collins area, recently moving here from Raleigh, North Carolina. Her research interests include bacteriology, prion disease, and infectious diseases. In her free time she loves to run on trails, hike, read, and spend time with her husband and two parrots. She is also into cooking and has been spending lots of time making healthy food to fuel all their running.

Summer Adventures

Ben Krajacich and Nathan Grubaugh just got back from Liberia where they sampled mosquitoes for 3 weeks. In addition to eating snails, frogs and other bushmeat delicacies, rumor has it that their driver picked up a pangolin on the road through the jungle, which ended up in their sauce that night.


PRC takes on the Poudre...

PRC headed to raft the  Poudre River

(L to R) Mark Zabel, Brady Michel (front), Christy Wyckoff, Aimee Ortega, Vanessa Selwyn (front), Sarah Kane, Val Johnson and Jeff Christiansen

PRC on the Poudre River
PRC on the Poudre River
PRC on the Poudre River

PRC Runs into Trouble with the Local in Banff, while attending Prion Conference


Wedding Congrats
Suchman-Bixler Wedding Photo

Congratulations to Erica Suchman on her July 5th marriage to Joe Bixler. Pictured above are Erica, Joe, and his children Nolan, Scott and Jackie. May you be blessed with many wonderful years together!


Best Wishes!

Best wishes to Karen Hofmaier and her future endeavors! We'll miss you!


Got Parking?

Plan to park on campus August 1, 2013 to July 31, 2014? If so, you will need to purchase or renew your parking permit by July 31, 2013!!. You can purchase your permit ONLINE now.

Also, be aware there will no longer be parking placards. Parking Services is transitioning to License Plate Recognition technology, which means all permit holders will need to register the license plates of any vehicles they may be driving to campus.

More information can be found at the CSU Parking & Transportation Services website.


School is Cool

School is Cool is a community outreach effort managed and organized by CSU employees that provides backpacks and school supplies to K-12 students in Fort Collins, Wellington, Timnath and LaPorte, and to outlying mountain schools. Since 1992, School Is Cool has helped more than 29,000 children. Last year, the program assisted 2,534 students in 46 schools.

A $25 donation provides a brand-new backpack filled with an average of 13 grade-appropriate school supplies.

Besides ensuring the students have the supplies they need, the program strives to build self-esteem – an important factor to academic success.

Make a Gift Now


Construction Zone

Ongoing/Upcoming Construction Projects

  • Fire Sprinkler Project in Micro – This project is currently wrapping up. The crew will be going around doing finishing touches for the next couple weeks and should be completely finished before the Fall semester begins.
  • Micro B-Wing Freezer Room Project – The crew is hoping to start the remodeling of the common freezer areas on the 4th floor on Aug 5th. This date is dependent on receiving the shipment of the new equipment from VWR in a timely fashion. The projected completion date for the 4th floor is mid-September, and the 3rd floor will follow immediately afterwards with a similar timescale. Lastly, work will move to the second floor.
  • Micro A103 Grad Student Break Room Remodel – We are planning to do a minor remodel to room A103 to create a break room for all Micro graduate students. This work will consist of cleaning and painting, replacing the flooring and adding a refrigerator, microwave and other break room furniture. We are hoping to complete this work before the beginning of the Fall semester.
  • Micro A and B-Wing Roof Replacement Project – This project is still in the bidding stage with an estimated start date in late August or early September with B-wing slated to be replaced first and then A wing. Work on each wing is expected to take about 3 weeks with a project completion date sometime in October.

Fort Collins Bans Cardboard in the Trash

No Cardboard in Trash

CSU needs everyone to help keep cardboard out of the trash. Please remember to place cardboard in the blue recycle bins. Trash that includes cardboard will not be picked up.

See the Do Not Throw Cardboard in Trash for more information.

Also, as a reminder, E-Waste should also be disposed of properly. See the Landfill Electronics Ban for more information.


MIP Bits

Quote of the Month

"Finding good players is easy. Getting them to play as a team is another story."  
~ Casey Stengal



Kathi Delehoy shares her umbrella with Ed Hoover during one of the July monsoons

    Alternate Captions
  • Photographic proof that University Distinguished Profs get special treatment from CSU Administration
  • ‘Just another day in paradise’ for Ed Hoover
  • Kathi and Ed doing an impersonation of Micro Bldg inhabitants during monsoon season
  • Submit your own

MIPuzzle
Questions for MIPuzzle #86
MIPuzzle #86 Answers
MIPuzzle #86


NIH Happenings

  • SF424 version C comes into play starting Sept 25th

    Note that most grant types will require the use of the new SF 424 ‘C’ forms effective September 25th

  • ‘ImmPort’-ant stuff for immunologists

    If you haven’t done so yet, check out NIAID’s Immunology database that was formed to promote data sharing in the immunology field.


New Grant Awards

bulletSandra Quackenbush, "Molecular Biology Services for Wildlife Disease Diagnostics", Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife

bulletSue VandeWoude, "Stutzman-Rodriguez- AHA Veterinary Summer Fellow ", American Humane Association


Infectious Disease Superclusters

RECENT GRANT AWARDS

Laurie Baeten, Colleen Duncan and Richard Bowen, "Characterization of non-pregnant ruminant model for Coxiella burnetii"


The Sequester Blues

The sequester is wreaking havoc with all of us trying to survive. Francis Collins, Director of the NIH, has been lobbying Congress to restore funding that was cut. He has recently come out with a nifty song about this, "The Sequester Blues", which you can view at the Biotechniquest website


Leprosy Research in Brazil

At least Brazil seems to be pouring money into science and technology...the two grants that Brazilian researchers Dr. Euzenir Sarno and Dr. Claudio Salgado submitted with John Spencer for leprosy research projects in Brazil were funded. Check out the video below that tells a little about the work John is doing in Brazil:


JULY 2013
Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri
1 2 3 4
American flag
Independence Day
Univ Offices Closed
5
8 9 10 11 12
15 16 17  18  19 
22 23 24 25 26
29 30
Faculty Mtg 4pm IDRC
31    

 

AUGUST 2013
Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri
      1
Seminar 12pm Path 103
2
5 6 7 8 9
12 13 14  15  16 
19 20 21 22 23
Graduate Student Orientation
26
Fall Classes Begin
27 28 29 30

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MIP Newsletter Volume 10, Issue 5, July 2013
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