Cardiac Responses to Klebsiella pneumoniae Infection: Investigating its Role in Sepsis and Endocarditis
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
4-2025
Abstract
Sepsis causes nearly 11 million deaths across the globe and about 350,000 per year in the United States. Sepsis can be induced by a number of viral, fungal, and bacterial pathogens. Klebsiella pneumoniae is particularly adept at disseminating through the blood to many distal sites from the lung. Klebsiella pneumoniae is a Gram-negative bacterium that can cause pneumonia, meningitis, endocarditis, wound infections, and is a leading cause of bacterial sepsis. The purpose of these studies is to observe how Klebsiella pneumoniae affects the heart. These studies will be important in elucidating how cardiomyocytes respond to infection with Klebsiella pneumoniae. Two approaches will be taken to uncover how these cells respond to infection. Heart tissue samples will be harvested from uninfected and infected mice to observe the in vivo response. Briefly, mice will be infected and tissues will be harvested at different times post infection. The students will assist in processing the tissues and perform immunofluorescence assays to help delineate immune responses in the heart at different times post infection. The second approach involves directly infecting immortalized rodent cardiac cell lines to study the susceptibility of these cells in vitro. Our goal is to define how resident heart cells respond to Klebsiella induced endocarditis.
Recommended Citation
Ramos, Jahatzy, "Cardiac Responses to Klebsiella pneumoniae Infection: Investigating its Role in Sepsis and Endocarditis" (2025). Student Research Symposium 2025. 52.
https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/srs_2025/52
Comments
Poster Session 2
5:30-7:00 p.m.
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