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Define the virulence mechanisms of pathogenic bacteria, and develop vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics for bacterial diseases  

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Infectious diseases are the causes of over 9 million deaths each year worldwide. Vaccines are needed to prevent these diseases. Diagnostics are useful for detecting infections. Antimicrobial (antibiotic) therapeutics are used to treat infections. We investigate the cellular components of bacteria responsible for making the disease in infected humans/animals. Moreover, we develop novel vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics to control/treat bacterial diseases.     

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​We perform the following in our efforts to find cures for infectious diseases:   

1. Elucidate the involvement of cell wall peptidoglycan to virulence of Borrelia burgdorferi and identify effective and safe therapeutics for Lyme disease  ​

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  • Bandara, A.B., J.C. Drake, and D.A. Brown. Complex II subunit SDHD is critical for cell growth and metabolism, which can be partially restored with a synthetic ubiquinone analog. BMC Mol Cell Biol 2021, 22(1):35. PMID: 34118887. PMCID: PMC8196461. DOI: 10.1186/s12860-021-00370-w. 

2. Elucidate the virulence mechanisms of highly pathogenic bacterial select agents  

Burkholderia
Francisella
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Brucella
Bacillus anthracis

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  • Bandara, A.B., N. Sriranganathan G.G. Schurig, and S.M. Boyle. 2005. Carboxyl-terminal protease regulates Brucella suis morphology in culture and persistence in macrophages and mice. J Bacteriol. 187(16):5767-5775. PMID: 16077124. PMCID: PMC1196076 DOI: 10.1128/JB.187.16.5767-5775.2005. 

  • Bandara, A.B., N. Sriranganathan, G.G. Schurig, and S.M. Boyle. 2005. Putative outer membrane autotransporter protein influences survival of Brucella suis in BALB/c mice. Vet Microbiol. 109(1-2):95-104. PMID: 15970403. DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2005.05.012. 

  • Bandara, A.B., A.M. Contreras, A. Contreras-Rodriguez, A.M. Martins, V. Dobrean, S. Poff-Reichow, P. Rajasekaran, N. Sriranganathan, G.G. Schurig, and S.M. Boyle. 2007. Brucella suis Urease Encoded by ure-1 but not ure-2 is Necessary for Intestinal Infection of BALB/c Mice. BMC Microbiol. 2007 Jun 19;7(1):57. PMID: 17578575. PMCID: PMC1983905. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-7-57.   

  • Bandara, A.B., G.G. Schurig, N. Sriranganathan, and S.M. Boyle. 2009. The putative penicillin-binding proteins 1 and 2 are important for viability, growth and cell morphology of Brucella melitensis. Vet Microbiol. 2009 Feb 2;133(4):387-93. PMID: 18809265. DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2008.07.019.   

  • Bandara, A.B., D. DeShazer, T.J. Inzana, N. Sriranganathan, G.G. Schurig and S.M. Boyle. 2008. Disruption of ctpA encoding carboxy-terminal protease attenuates Burkholderia mallei and induces partial protection in CD-1 mice. Microb Pathog. 2008 Sep;45(3):207-16. PMID: 18614331. DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2008.05.005.   

  • Bandara, A.B. 2012. A wzt mutant Burkholderia mallei is attenuated and partially protects CD1 mice against glanders. Advances in Infectious Diseases. 2, 53-61.   

  • Bandara, A.B., A.E. Champion, X. Wang, G. Berg,  M.A. Apicella, M. McLendon, P. Azadi, D. S. Snyder, and T.J. Inzana. 2011. Isolation and Mutagenesis of a Capsule-Like Complex (CLC) from Francisella tularensis LVS, and Contribution of the CLC to F. tularensis Virulence in Mice. PLoS One. 2011 April 22;6(4):e19003. PMID: 21544194. PMCID: PMC3081320. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019003. 

  • Champion, A.E., K.C. Freudenberger-Catanzaro, A.B. Bandara, and T.J. Inzana, 2019. Formation of the Francisella tularensis Biofilm is Affected by Cell Surface Glycosylation, Growth Medium, and a Glucan Exopolysaccharide. Scientific Reports. Volume 9, Article number: 12252. PMID: 31439876. PMCID: PMC6706388. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-48697-x. 

  • Champion, A.E., A.B. Bandara, N. Mohapatra, K.M. Fulton, S.M. Twine, and T.J. Inzana, 2018. Further characterization of the capsule-like complex (CLC) produced by Francisella tularensis subspecies tularensis: Protective efficacy and similarity to outer membrane vesicles. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2018 Jun 15;8:182. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00182. eCollection 2018. PMID: 29963499. PMCID: PMC6013578. DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00182. 

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3. Develop novel vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics for bacterial diseases  

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  • Bandara, A.B., S.H. Poff, V. Dobrean, D. Hoover, M. Nikolich, G.G. Schurig, N. Sriranganathan, and S.M. Boyle. 2009. Simultaneous overexpression of homologous and heterologous antigens in attenuated Brucella melitensis. Microbes Infect. 2009 11(3):424-8. PMID: 19397881.  DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2009.01.003. 

  • Bandara, A.B., M.N. Seleem, C.N. Jordan, D.S. Lindsay, G.G. Schurig, N. Sriranganathan. 2006. Brucella abortus Strain RB51 can be Used to Express Potentially Protective Antigens of Toxoplasma gondii. J Eukaryot Microbiol. 2006 Nov;53 Suppl 1:S166-8. PMID: 17169047. DOI: 10.1111/j.1550-7408.2006.00218.x.  

  • Bandara, A.B., Z. Zuo, S. Ramachandran, A. Ritter, J.R. Heflin, and T.J. Inzana, 2015. Detection of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococci by Biosensor Assay Consisting of Nanoscale Films on Optical Fiber Long-Period Gratings. Biosensors and Bioelectronics. 70:433-440. PMID: 25845336. DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2015.03.041. 

  • Bandara, A.B., Z. Zuo, J.R. Heflin, and T.J. Inzana, 2018. Identification of Histophilus somni by a Nanomaterial Optical Fiber Biosensor Assay.  J Vet Diagn Invest. 2018 Nov;30(6):821-829. PMID: 30264658. PMCID: PMC6505835. DOI: 10.1177/1040638718803665. 

  • K.L. Cooper, A.B. Bandara, Y. Wang, A. Wang, and T.J. Inzana. 2011. Photonic biosensor assays to detect and distinguish subspecies of Francisella tularensis. Sensors (Basel). 2011;11(3):3004- 3019. PMID: 22163782. PMCID: PMC3231581. DOI: 10.3390/s110303004. 

  • McCutcheon, K., A.B. Bandara, Z. Zuo, J.R. Heflin, and T.J. Inzana, 2019. The Application of a nanomaterial optical fiber Biosensor assay for identification of Brucella nomenspecies. 2019 May 21;9(2). pii: E64. doi: 10.3390/bios9020064. PMID: 31117228. PMCID: PMC6627525. DOI: 10.3390/bios9020064. 

  • Abutaleb, N.S., S. Annadka, A.B. Bandara, M.N. Seleem, D.P. Flaherty. Evaluation of 1,3,4-thiadiazole carbonic anhydrase inhibitors for gut decolonization of vancomycin-resistant enterococci ACS Med Chem Lett. 2023. 14(4):487-492. PMID: 37077393. PMCID: PMC10108396. DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.3c00032. 

  • Kikiowo, B., A.B. Bandara, N.S. Abutaleb, and M.N. Seleem. Colonization efficiency of multi-drug resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae in a female mouse model. Pathog Dis. 2023. 81:1-7. PMID: 37852672. DOI: 10.1093/femspd/ftad030. 

  • Modise, T., C. Ryder, S.P. Mane, A.B. Bandara, R.V. Jensen, and T.J. Inzana. 2012. Genomic comparison between a virulent type A1 strain of Francisella tularensis and its attenuated O- antigen mutant. J Bacteriol. 194(10):2775-6. PMID: 22535949. PMCID: PMC3347185. DOI: 10.1128/JB.00152-12. 

4. Elucidate the virulence mechanisms of bacterial agents pathogenic in livestock animals 

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  • Bandara, A.B., and M.B. Mahipala. 2002. Incidence of Brucellosis in Sri Lanka: an Overview. Vet Microbiol. 90:197-207. PMID: 12414144. DOI: 10.1016/s0378-1135(02)00254-7. 

  • Bandara, A.B., M.L. Lawrence, H.P. Veit, and T.J. Inzana. 2003. Association of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Capsular Polysaccharide with virulence in pigs. Infection and Immunity. 71(6):3320-3328. PMID: 12761114. PMCID: PMC155728. DOI: 10.1128/IAI.71.6.3320-3328.2003. 

  • Bandara, A.B., and T.J. Inzana. 2003. Molecular investigation of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae virulence factors, diagnosis, and development of recombinant vaccines: a review. Recent Advances in Microbiology (India). 2:103-117. 

  • Bandara, A.B., S. M. Boyle, A. Contreras-Rodriguez, A.M. Martins, R. Prasad, and C.M. Reilly. 2013. Brucella melitensis differs from B. suis in growth and urease activity in vitro, and infectivity in Fisher-344 rats in vivo. Advances in Infectious Diseases. 3(1):60-62. 

  • Shah, N.R., A.B. Bandara, I. Sandal, and T.J. Inzana. 2014. Natural competence in Histophilius somni. Veterrinary Microbiology. 2014 Aug 27. pii: S0378-1135(14)00365-4. PMID: 25218867. DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2014.07.025. 

  • Dickerman, A., A.B. Bandara, T.J. Inzana. 2020. Phylogenomic analysis of Haemophilus parasuis and proposed reclassification to Glaesserella parasuis, gen. nov., comb. nov. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2020 Jan;70(1):180-186. doi: 10.1099/ijsem.0.003730.PMID: 31592757. DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.003730. 

  • Pan, Y., S. Siddaramappa, I. Sandal, A. Dickerman, A.B. Bandara, T.J. Inzana TJ. 2021. The Role of luxS in Histophilus somni virulence and biofilm formation. Infect Immun. 2021 Jan 19;89(2):e00567-20. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00567-20. Print 2021 Jan 19. PMID: 33139386. PMCID: PMC7822144. DOI: 10.1128/IAI.00567-20. 

  • Bossé, J.T., Y. Li, L.M. Cohen, M. Stegger, Ø. Angen, S. Lacouture, M. Gottschalk, L. Lei, M. Koene, P. Kuhnert, A.B. Bandara, T.J. Inzana, M.T.G. Holden, D. Harris, O. Oshota, D.J. Maskell, A.W. Tucker, B.W. Wren, A.N. Rycroft, P.R. 2021. Langford. Complete genome for Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serovar 8 reference strain 405: comparative analysis with draft genomes for different laboratory stock cultures indicates little genetic variation. Microb Genom. 2021 Nov;7(11):000687. doi: 10.1099/mgen.0.000687. PMID: 34818145. PMCID: PMC8743550. DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000687. 

©2024 by SAPRA Biomedicals, LLC. All rights reserved

©2024 by SAPRA Biomedicals, LLC. All rights reserved

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