This dissertation describes how to apply pharmacokinetic simulations and modeling in a clinical setting to monitor and adjust drug dosing in special patient populations. Pharmacokinetic simulations were used to investigate efficacy and risk of drug toxicity of a new dosing regimen for aminoglycoside antibiotics when administered to renal failure patients....
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a ubiquitous gram-negative bacterium that is capable of causing infections in people who are immune compromised. The bacterium can live in a variety of environments due to the variety of virulence factors it can produce. It is well adapted to living in iron-stringent conditions because it can...
When iron levels are low, the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa secretes the high-affinity iron-binding siderophore pyoverdine. The cognate ferripyoverdine receptor, FpvA, has gained attention as the most divergent gene in the organism’s genome, showing substantial evidence of positive selection. S-type pyocins, bacteriocins with specificity to Pseudomonads, enter cells through FpvA...
Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) bacteria reside in soil, plant rhizospheres, and water, but the prevalence of Bcc in outdoor environments is not clear. In this study, we sampled a variety of soil and rhizosphere environments with which people may have contact: playgrounds, athletic fields, parks, hiking trails, residential yards and...