Date of Award

Spring 5-2021

Author's School

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Author's Department

Biology

Degree Name

Master of Arts (AM/MA)

Degree Type

Thesis

Abstract

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) affect 150 million people per year worldwide and can be difficult to diagnose and treat leaving room for other biomarkers to be used to define an infection. Secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI), an antimicrobial protein also with antiprotease and anti-inflammatory properties, may be involved in host response to UTI. Here we use an established UPEC-UTI model to infect female Slpi knockout and wild type mice to show SLPI plays a role in microbial ecology of the bladder. Bacterial abundance is altered in urinary tracts and is positively correlated with SLPI in urine of wild type mice. SLPI levels in the urine can be used to predict infection in mice as well.

Language

English (en)

Chair and Committee

Andrew Kau

Committee Members

Haina Shin Ian Duncan

Included in

Biology Commons

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