Date of Award
2017
Publisher
North Dakota State University
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Awarded
Master of Science (MS)
Program
Genomics and Bioinformatics
Department
Plant Sciences
College
Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources
Faculty Advisor
Bergholz, Peter
Description
The diversity-invasion relationship states that more diverse communities are more resistant to invasion. Listeria monocytogenes – a gram-positive facultative anaerobe, soil saprotroph, and opportunistic human pathogen – is capable of surviving in a diverse range of habitats, including soil, and several recent studies have shown that the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in soil increases with proximity to surface water. In addition, L. monocytogenes resides frequently in the guts of ruminants and poultry, creating many opportunities for deposition in soil. However, little work has been done to examine the effects of native soil microbiota on the survival of the pathogen. This thesis builds on previous work by examining microbial community diversity in the prairie pothole ecosystem and how it impacts the survival of L. monocytogenes. Results indicate that survival of L. monocytogenes does not seem to differ greatly as an effect of community diversity.
Recommended Citation
Dusek, Nicholas Stephen, "Biotic and Abiotic Factors Affecting the Survival of Listeria Monocytogenes in Prairie Pothole Soils and Sediments" (2017). Plant Sciences. 209.
https://digitalcommons.ndsu.edu/plant-sci/209
Rights
NDSU policy 190.6.2
Rights Link
https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf
Handle Identifier
https://hdl.handle.net/10365/28702