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Publications

Peer Reviewed Journal Publications

  1. Mara, A.B., Gavitt, T.D., Tulman, E.R. et al. Vaccination with Mycoplasma pneumoniae membrane lipoproteins induces IL-17A driven neutrophilia that mediates Vaccine Enhanced Disease. npj Vaccines (2022) (NPJVACCINES-02008R, accepted, article undergoing proofing).
  2. Mara, A.B., Gavitt, T.D., Tulman, E.R. et al. Lipid moieties of Mycoplasma pneumoniae lipoproteins are the causative factor of vaccine-enhanced disease. npj Vaccines 5, 31 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41541-020-0181-x.
  3. Gavitt, T.D., Mara, A.B., Goodridge, M.L., et al. B cell responses limit bacterial colonization and exacerbated lung inflammation after vaccination and challenge with Mycoplasma pneumoniae. (manuscript in preparation).
  4. Tran, K.T.M., Gavitt, T.D., Farrell, N.J., Curry, E.J. Mara, A.B., et al. Transdermal microneedles for the programmable burst release of multiple vaccine payloads. Nature Biomedical Engineering (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-020-00650-4.
  5. Gavitt, T.D., Hartmann, A.K., Sawant, S.S., Mara, A.B., Szczepanek, S.M., and Rouge J.L. A GATA3 Targeting Nucleic Acid Nanocapsule for In Vivo Gene Regulation in Asthma ACS Nano Article DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c07781
  6. Allen CR., Mara A., Tulman ER., Ley DH., Geary SJ. House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)-Associated Mycoplasma gallisepticum Identified in Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) and Western Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma californica) using Strain-Specific Quantitative PCR. J Wildl Dis. 2017 Oct 20. doi: 10.7589/2017-04-079.

Doctoral Dissertation

  1. Mara, A. Elucidating the mechanisms of Mycoplasma pneumoniae Vaccine-induced Disease Exacerbation. Doctoral Dissertation. Embargoed until 08/2022.  https://collections.ctdigitalarchive.org/islandora/object/20002%3A860660000?search=arlind%2520mara

Posters/Abstracts/Talks

  1. Arlind B. Mara, Tyler D. Gavitt, Edan R. Tulman, Jeremy Miller, Lawrence K. Silbart, Steven M. Szczepanek, Steven J. Geary. Previous Exposure to Mycoplasma pneumoniae lipoproteins induces maladaptive recall Th17 responses that exacerbate disease. Myeloid Cells: From Birth to Immunity and Disease : (Keystone Symposia 2022).
  2. Arlind B. Mara, Tyler D. Gavitt, Edan R. Tulman, Jeremy Miller, Lawrence K. Silbart, Steven J. Geary, Steven M. Szczepanek. Lipoprotein Induced Th17 Responses Mediate Mycoplasma pneumoniae Vaccine Enhanced Disease. XXIII Biennial Congress of the International Organization for Mycoplasmology (IOM 2021).
  3. Arlind B. Mara, Tyler D. Gavitt, Edan R. Tulman, Jeremy Miller, Lawrence K. Silbart, Steven J. Geary, Steven M. Szczepanek. Mycoplasma pneumoniae Lipoprotein-induced Th17-mediated Neutrophilia Drives Vaccine Enhanced Disease. 23rd Annual Upstate New York Immunology Conference. (2021).
  4. Arlind B. Mara, Tyler D. Gavitt, Rosemary Ozyck, Joseph Pittinelli, Edan R. Tulman, Steven J. Geary, Steven M. Szczepanek. Protective Surface Antigens of Mycoplasma pneumoniae that do not Cause Vaccine-Enhanced Disease. XXIII Biennial Congress of the International Organization for Mycoplasmology (IOM 2021).
  5. Arlind B. Mara, Tyler D. Gavitt, Rosemary Ozyck, Joseph Pettinelli, Edan R. Tulman, Steven J. Geary, Steven M. Szczepanek. Identification of Protective Antigens of Mycoplasma pneumoniae that are Engineered to Avoid Vaccine-enhanced Disease. 15th Vaccine Congress, 2021.
  6. Tyler D. Gavitt, Arlind B. Mara, Meagan L. Goodridge, Rosemary Grace Ozyck, Morgan Hunte, Edan R. Tulman, Steven J. Geary, Steven M. Szczepanek. Mycoplasma pneumoniae Vaccine-Enhanced Disease is not Antibody-dependent Enhancement of Disease. XXIII Biennial Congress of the International Organization for Mycoplasmology (IOM 2021)
  7. Mara, A.B. Lipoprotein-induced Th17 Responses Mediate Mycoplasma pneumoniae Vaccine-induced Disease Exacerbation in a Murine Model. 10 minute talk at the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources Graduate Student Symposium, April 2021
  8. Mara, A.B., Gavitt, T.D., Tulman, E.R., Miller, J., Silbart, L.K., Szczepanek, S.M., Geary, S.J. Lipoprotein-induced Th17 Responses Mediate Mycoplasma pneumoniae Vaccine-induced Disease Exacerbation in a Murine Model. 20 minute talk at the United States Organization for Mycoplasmology (USOM): Vaccines Conference November 10, 2020. 
  9. Mara, A.B., Szczepanek, S.M., Geary, S.J. Lipid moieties of Mycoplasma pneumoniae lipoproteins cause vaccine-enhanced disease in an IL-17A dependent manner. *Poster and talk at UConn’s 6th Annual Distinguished Microbiologist Lecture and Microbiome Symposium (2020)
  10. Mara, A.B., Szczepanek, S.M., Geary, S.J. Lipid moieties of Mycoplasma pneumoniae lipoproteins cause vaccine-enhanced disease in an IL-17A dependent manner. *Poster at the Graduate Student Research Symposium, University of Connecticut, 2020
  11. Mara, A.B., Elucidating the mechanisms behind Mycoplasma pneumoniae Vaccine-induced Disease Exacerbation. Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Presentation in the Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, UConn, August, 2020.
  12. Hunte, M., Mara, A.B., Tulman E.R. Gavitt, T.D., Szczepanek, S.M., Geary, S.J. Investigating the use of a detection ∝ – p1 monoclonal antibody as a therapeutic agent in Mycoplasma pneumoniae disease. *CAHNR Student Research Symposium. University of Connecticut, 2020
  13. Pasnoori, N., Mara, A.B., Gavitt, T.D., Geary, S.J., Szczepanek, S.M. Characteriaztion of a Mycoplasma pneumoniae CARDS Mutant. *Frontiers in Undergraduate Research-University of Connecticut, 2020.
  14. Gavitt, T.D., Kugler, A., Mara, A.B., Szczepanek, S.M. Immunological Examination of the Thermostability of a 13-valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine. *Frontiers in Undergraduate Research-University of Connecticut, 2020.*
  15. Olivas JJ., Mara A., Gavitt, TD., Szczepanek SM. Searching for the elusive Mycoplasma pneumoniae Vaccine: Is CARDS the answer? Poster at the Campus Office of Undergraduate Research Initiatives (COURI) Research Symposium. 2018
  16. Olivas JJ., Mara A., Gavitt, TD., Szczepanek SM. Searching for the elusive Mycoplasma pneumoniae Vaccine: Is CARDS the answer? Poster at the BUILDing SCHOLARS Program Research Symposium. University of Texas at EL Paso, 2018.
  17. Olivas JJ., Mara A., Gavitt, TD., Szczepanek SM. Searching for the elusive Mycoplasma pneumoniae Vaccine: Is CARDS the answer? Poster at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS). Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN, 2018.
  18. Mara, A.B., Szczepanek, S.M., Geary, S.J. Mechanisms of Mycoplasma pneumoniae Vaccine-induced Disease Exacerbation and Strategies for the Development of an Effective Vaccine. Graduate Student Research Symposium, University of Connecticut, 2018. Best Visuals Award.