@phdthesis{Winter2012,
  author    = {Theresa Winter},
  title     = {A physiological proteomic approach to address infection-related issues of Gram-positive bacteria},
  journal    = {-},
  url       = {https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:gbv:9-001211-6},
  year      = {2012},
  abstract  = {Against the opinion of earlier years, infectious diseases are the most dangerous cause of death worldwide. Their epidemiologic importance is present today and will be present in the future. The complex topic of “infections” should be examined under two aspects: prevention and treatment. The prevention of infections covers the fields of decontamination and sterilization, hygiene, vaccination and health education. The treatment of infections is commonly associated with antibiotic treatment, as well as with the immunological side in terms of understanding the human immune response. From 1969 to 2000 no new major class of antibiotics have been introduced and, to make matters worse, the decreasing interest and investment in antibiotic research by the pharmaceutical industry and the consequent decline in antibiotic discovery has been paralleled by a rapid spread of nosocomial acquired infections and cases of community-acquired, antibiotic (methicillin)-resistant infections. Fundamental research on infection causing microorganisms such as the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is of major importance. Infection related virulence factors are either displayed at the surface of the staphylococcal cell or released into the medium. In order to understand and evaluate the pathogenic potential of these organisms it is of major importance to map their pathways for protein transport. Currently, the machinery for protein transport of Escherichia coli (gram negative) and B. subtilis (gram positive) are best described. Many of the known components that are involved in the different routes for protein export in these organisms are also conserved in S. aureus. Genomic and proteomic studies enable an in-depth study of the secretion machinery. The understanding of which factors are responsible for causing infection and which proteins are why and how associated with infections carries high potential for new findings in terms of infection control and treatment. Furthermore, contamination of medical devices such as catheters or endoscopes can also cause infections. Medical devices which are made of bio-compatible polymers such as polyethylene (PE) or polyethylenterephthalat (PET) are thermo labile materials. Besides numerous advantages for the patient, they are poorly resistant to high temperatures (autoclave sterilization). Alternative chemical treatments such as ethylene oxide sterilization bare side effects or risks which are neither desired nor acceptable. Therefore, the use of alternative decontamination procedures for heat sensitive materials such as low temperature plasma is in the focus of not only physicist but also biologist and medical staff. As low temperature plasmas generated at atmospheric pressure consist of a variety of microbicidal active agents and chemical products e.g. atomic oxygen (O), ozone (O3), hydroxyl (OH), reactive oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen species (RNS), it becomes an appropriate tool for microbial decontamination. Recently, low temperature plasma was successfully applied for wound treatment. First studies revealed enormous potential in this area as improved wound healing could be shown. Clearly, the use of plasmas in medicine opens up new vistas of treatment—this is the vision. On the practical side many questions are still open such as: (i) which type of plasma is applicable for which purpose; (ii) what are the advantages of plasma compared to current medical treatments; (iii) whether plasmas are a more economical alternative to current applications and standards? Before plasma can be safely routinely used in hospitals, it is furthermore of major importance to evaluate the interaction of microorganisms (pro- and eukaryotic cells) with plasma. When these fundamental questions are well investigated and understood, a safe, successful and most important widely accepted implementation in the field of life science will be achieved.},
  language  = {de}
}