Faculty of Infectious Diseases

Epidemiology of foodborne pathogens at the farm-to-table continuum. Epidemiology of infectious diseases in food animals.

Research Areas: Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Food- and Water-borne Diseases

Research examines the ecology of infectious diseases in animal populations using a combination of field studies, experiments, comparative approaches and modeling. Particularly interested in the effects of host behavior on pathogen transmission, and the consequences of genetic and environmental factors for host susceptibility.

Research Areas: Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Infectious Diseases in Wildlife

Offer sequencing and genotyping services at the Georgia Genomics Facility, a Core laboratory at UGA. Primary mission is to assist researchers at UGA and at other institutions with their projects.

Research Areas: Agro- and Bio-security Threats, Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Clinical Microbiology, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Respiratory Diseases

Application of analytical epidemiologic methods to food animal production medicine and food safety research. Interested in infectious and foodborne diseases of livestock and poultry.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Food- and Water-borne Diseases

Research Areas: Agro- and Bio-security Threats, Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases

Broad base of ecological research interests that involves the study of species interactions in nearshore, estuarine, and marsh environments, with particular emphasis on quantitative measures of impacts of non-indigenous species on native biota in invaded communities. Interest in parasite and disease ecology is rooted in understanding environmental determinants of parasite prevalence and triggers of disease onset and outbreaks, as well as how parasites and disease affect populations and community structure.

Research Areas: Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Infectious Diseases in Wildlife, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Interested in developing rapid and sensitive methods for virus detection in foods and water, evaluating intervention strategies used during food processing (farm to fork) for control of foodborne viruses, and investigating virus attachment on food surfaces and possible uptake of viruses into plant tissues. Other research interests include studying the role of the asymptomatic foodhandler at the farm and restaurant levels in causing outbreaks and sporadic cases of viral gastroenteritis (caused by human noroviruses).

Research Areas: Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Food- and Water-borne Diseases

Research goal is directed toward determining the molecular basis for the interaction between a bacterium and its plant or animal host. Research focuses on the determining the structural features of the bacterial cell surface carbohydrates that are important in the infection process, and to identify the function(s) of those structural features in the infection of, and survival within, the host cell.

Research Areas: Agro- and Bio-security Threats, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Immunology and Vaccines

Many diseases are vectored by blood-feeding arthropods, which modify the conditions of pathogen transmission as a result of antihemostatic and immunomodulatory activities in their saliva. Seek to characterize these activities and the specific components involved, with the ultimate goal of developing novel strategies for interrupting disease transmission.

Research Areas: Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Vaccines, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Laboratory works on the immunology of human schistosomiasis, primarily in relationship to immune mechanisms of resistance to reinfection and to a lesser extent in regard to immune mechanisms related to subtle and severe morbidity due to this worm infection of 200 million people. Is also developing and will direct a new effort, the Schistosomiasis Consortium for Operational Research and Evaluation (SCORE) in support of schistosomiasis control programs.

Research Areas: Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Vaccines, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Research has focused on analysis of gene expression profiles of E. coli O157:H7, non-thermal plasma intervention strategies for foodborne pathogens, functionality of naturally derived antimicrobials, and concentration techniques for sampling pathogens from the environment or food for improved detection.

Research Areas: Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Food- and Water-borne Diseases

Major advances have been made in the formulation technology at the Nanotechnology Laboratory at the Center for Cancer Research at Mercer, allowing production of nanospheres using the spray drying methodology in a single step aseptic process. Have formulated and tested several oral vaccines, such as oral melanoma, oral TB, oral typhoid vaccines and have obtained excellent immunizations with these novel vaccines and are currently testing oral influenza, oral breast and prostate cancer vaccines.

Research Areas: Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Immunology and Vaccines, Nanotechnology

A clinical faculty member in the Department of Health Policy and Administration in the UGA College of Public Health. Current work is focused on the development of new medical education programs.

Research Areas: Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Public Health Policy

Studies the immune response of bony fishes (teleosts) using the common protozoan parasite Ichthyophthirius multifiliis as a model system. Laboratory utilizes molecular genetic and biological approaches to study the expression and function of parasite and host genes that are relevant to infection and immunity.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Immunology and Vaccines, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Development of novel analytical and spectroscopic methods for biodiagnostic and biosensing purposes. Application of surface-enhanced vibrational spectroscopy for the detection and classification of biomedically important pathogens.

Research Areas: Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Nanotechnology, Respiratory Diseases

Strategy is to search for metabolic pathways in parasites that may be essential for their survival but may not find an equivalent counterpart in the host. Currently efforts are concentrated on the mechanisms by which pH and calcium homeostasis are maintained by different trypanosomatids (T. cruzi, T. brucei, and Leishmania sp.) and malaria parasites (P. falciparum, P. berghei) and more specifically in the biochemical and molecular characterization of a new organelle that we have discovered and named the acidocalcisome.

Research Areas: Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Laboratory studies how environmental cues influence cell behavior in animals. The main focus is to understand how extracellular signals influence cell fate decisions during embryogenesis, using zebrafish as a model system. Also interested in how differentiated cells respond to their environment. Toward that end, has established collaborations with laboratorties in the School of Veterinary Medicine to establish zebrafish as a model for studying infectious diseases.

Research Areas: Immunology and Vaccines, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Develop better methods to detect, control, and reduce contamination of foodborne pathogens from farm to plate. Pathogens under study include Salmonella, Campylobacter, Clostridium botulinum, E. coli O157:H7 and EHEC, and Listeria monocytogenes.

Research Areas: Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Food- and Water-borne Diseases

Laboratory work focuses on the population and evolutionary dynamics of emerging and re-emerging pathogens. A specific focus is non-direct transmission modes, including vector-transmitted parasites and environmentally transmitted parasites.

Research Areas: Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases

Comparative immunology studies at both cellular and molecular levels with particular emphasis on mechanisms of innate immunity. Model systems include teleost homologues of mammalian NK cells and pattern recognition receptors.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Food- and Water-borne Diseases, Immunology and Vaccines

Research focuses on T-cell and B-cell responses in bony fish to infection by the protozoan parasite Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, a common, wide-spread pathogen of fish. Molecular genetic and biological approaches are used to study the expression and function of parasite and host genes.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Immunology and Vaccines, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Interested in the ecology of infectious disease in wildlife and at the interface of wild and domestic animals, especially carnivores. Goals are to bring together concepts and skills of veterinary medicine and ecology to better understand how infectious diseases impact wildlife populations, and to use this understanding to aid in wildlife conservation.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Infectious Diseases in Wildlife

Major focus is to determine the mechanisms by which viruses invade the nervous system and cause neurological diseases. In the meantime, also develops strategies to combat virus infection with vaccines and anti-viral agents.

Research Areas: Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Vaccines, Respiratory Diseases

The main aspects of research in laboratory are to improve the diagnosis and control of infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) and avian influenza. In particular, interested in identifying ILTV proteins involve in viral pathogenicity, spread, persistence and design of marker vaccines. The development of new serological assays that allow to monitor and detect influenza infected flocks in the presence of vaccination and to determine the survivability of both viruses in poultry litter and in the poultry house environment in order to improve biosecurity as part of the control of these diseases of poultry.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Immunology and Vaccines

Primary research interests are infections caused by Rhodococcus equi in foals and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of antimicrobial agents in horses.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Clinical Microbiology, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Immunology and Vaccines, Respiratory Diseases

Develops and uses DNA techniques and technologies to address problems in ecology, environmental health, evolution, toxicology, and natural resource management.

Research Areas: Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Infectious Diseases in Wildlife

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine

Use of models and empirical studies to investigate effects of anthropogenic land use change and climate change on the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases, particularly vector-borne multi-host pathogens (e.g. Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania spp. ). Additional research interests include: 1) evaluating effects of parasites/pathogens of keystone species on ecosystem function, 2) understanding how infectious diseases interact with other population regulatory processes such as predation, resource availability, and competition  3)  wildlife pathology and diseases of Neotropical wildlife.

Research Areas: Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Infectious Disease Modeling, Infectious Diseases in Wildlife, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Research is focused on new biosensing and bioimaging methods including laser-optical imaging modalities, fluorescent environment-sensitive probes, and image analysis. The research is widely application-driven and focuses on the needs of my collaborators.

Research Areas: Agro- and Bio-security Threats, Food- and Water-borne Diseases, Nanotechnology

Research in the Hajduk laboratory is focused on the molecular biology and biochemistry of African trypanosomes. Ongoing studies address the mechanism and function of RNA editing and the role of human innate immunity in controlling parasite infection.

Research Areas: Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Vaccines, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Use mathematical and computational approaches to investigate infectious disease dynamics on both the within-host and between-host levels.

Research Areas: Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Vaccines, Infectious Disease Modeling, Respiratory Diseases

Laboratory employs bioinformatics and receptor cross-talk analysis to examine how parasite expressed molecules induce anti-inflammatory signaling and maturation in antigen presenting cells. Also working on vaccines for schistosomiasis, including field testing of the vaccines in China.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Vaccines, Infectious Diseases in Wildlife, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Interested in virus and host interactions focusing on the roles of host proteins in replication of paramyxoviruses mumps virus and parainfluenza virus 5. Actively pursuing novel strategies for vaccine development and anti-viral drugs.

Research Areas: Agro- and Bio-security Threats, Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Vaccines, Infectious Disease Modeling, Infectious Diseases in Wildlife, Respiratory Diseases

Interested in all aspects of wildlife disease, particularly how pathogens affect wildlife populations, communities and ecosystems and primarily with an applied perspective. Aim to integrate ecological principle to inform the fields of conservation medicine and wildlife disease investigation.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Infectious Diseases in Wildlife, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Research is focused on understanding the biology and pathogenesis of virus infections with the goal of improving animal and human health.

Research Areas: Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Vaccines, Respiratory Diseases

Interested in the microflora associated with marine organisms, particularly novel organisms associated with the guts of fishes, as well as the biogeography of potentially pathogenic organisms in the environment.

Research Areas: Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Food- and Water-borne Diseases, Infectious Diseases in Wildlife

Primary research interests lie in the areas of bacterial mechanisms of virulence and vaccine development. All studies in the lab are done with an eye toward translating the findings of basic research into potential therapeutic intervention strategies.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Immunology and Vaccines, Respiratory Diseases

Research Areas: Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Food- and Water-borne Diseases, Infectious Diseases in Wildlife, Public Health Policy

SERS research on E. coli O157:H7 has demonstrated a potential technique for rapid detection method. The results indicated that E. coli O157:H7 can be identified from other strains and other bacteria including salmonella spp. and Staphylococcus aureus. The patent application for SERS system and method for detection has been filed through UGA Research Foundation. For the encapsulation of fish oil using chitosan, the results indicated a novel technique.

Research Areas: Agro- and Bio-security Threats, Food- and Water-borne Diseases, Nanotechnology

Molecular Virologist with a primary area of research interest in the identification, characterization, prevention, and control of animal coronaviruses. Most work focuses on infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), a coronavirus that causes an upper-respiratory disease in chickens, but lab also conducts research on other coronaviruses of veterinary importance as well as avian influenza virus.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Respiratory Diseases

Research focuses on the mechanisms of innate immunity against bacterial, viral parasitic and tumor antigens. Specifically study the pathways of activation of NK cells that are initiated upon contact with infectious insult and the effector molecules produced by NK cells in response to their activation.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Immunology and Vaccines

Research focus is on geographic information science (GIScience), remote sensing, digital photogrammetry, geographic information systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), geovisualization and landscape modeling for mapping and assessing vegetation communities, spatio-temporal patterns of landscapes, landuse/land cover changes, anthropology and archaeology, human impacts on the environment and environmental factors affecting the ecology of infectious disease.

Research Areas: Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Infectious Disease Modeling

Research goal is to understand the virulence or pathogenic roles that B. anthracis carbohydrates and those of related bacterial strains have with regard to pathogenic development. Additional objectives of this work include identification of carbohydrate structures that can be used as vaccine antigens, for development of B. anthracis diagnostic tools, and as therapeutic targets.

Research Areas: Agro- and Bio-security Threats

Primary laboratory research focus is to measure, understand, and solve the problems presented by drug-resistant parasites. This is done by combining clinical, biological, computational, and molecular approaches.

Research Areas: Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Infectious Disease Modeling, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Lab studies pathogenic mycobacteria that cause human and/or animal disease. Employ molecular, genetic, microscopic, and infection models to understand how the bacteria senses and adapts to the host immune system.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Respiratory Diseases

Modeling, simulation and analysis of biological and ecological systems; investigating universal properties of these systems; and on mathematical and computational solutions to questions of interest, such as control, impact, spread and evolution.

Research Areas: Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Vaccines

Laboratory is interested in parasite genomics and the biology of genome evolution. Approach is to apply molecular, computational and phylogenetic tools to the analysis of parasite genomes. Projects include the development of tools for data mining, comparative genomics and assessing the phylogenetic distribution of genes.

Research Areas: Agro- and Bio-security Threats, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Laboratory is interested in how immunological memory develops and is maintained after infection. In particular, they study the cellular cues instructing CD8 memory cell trafficking and homeostasis in non-lymphoid tissues, the sites of initial pathogen encounter.

Research Areas: Immunology and Vaccines, Respiratory Diseases

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a human respiratory tract pathogen causing bronchitis and pneumonia, especially in older children and young adults. Research encompasses M. pneumoniae colonization of host respiratory epithelium, including the role and mechanism of gliding motility, as well as development of a nanotechnology-based platform for rapid and accurate detection of mycoplasma infections.

Research Areas: Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Nanotechnology, Respiratory Diseases

Research program consists of identifying and characterizing surface antigens that are expressed by the gram negative bacteria Moraxella catarrhalis, Burkholderia pseudomallei, and Burkholderia mallei, with emphasis on molecules functioning as adherence factors.

Research Areas: Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Immunology and Vaccines, Respiratory Diseases

Research programs in laboratory are centered on the investigation and development of novel materials and methods for the precise control of organic molecular assemblies, both in solution and on surfaces as ultrathin films. Research activities involve organic and polymer synthesis, surface sensitive characterization techniques, nano- and micropatterning, and materials and device characterization.

Research Areas: Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Nanotechnology

Major research interests are in the development of new synthetic methods that lead to the construction of biologically active molecules with pharmacological properties. Special emphasis is given to molecules that may serve as antimicrobial agents (i.e. antibacterial, antifungal) or inhibitors of clinically important enzymes which we test in the laboratory.

Research Areas: Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Respiratory Diseases

Research focus is on geographic information science (GIScience) and landscape ecology using remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), geovisualization and landscape modeling for mapping and assessing vegetation communities, spatio-temporal patterns of landscapes, landuse/land cover changes, human impacts on the environment and environmental factors affecting the ecology of infectious disease.

Research Areas: Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Infectious Disease Modeling, Infectious Diseases in Wildlife

Roles of metalloproteins (hydrogenases and oxidative stress resistance enzymes) in pathogenic bacteria, particularly in Helicobacters and Enterobacteriaceae. Physical characteristics of the enzymes, their maturation, and their differential expression in animal hosts are of interest.

Research Areas: Agro- and Bio-security Threats, Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Respiratory Diseases

Research centers around the merging of Nanotechnology with Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), specifically for biomedical and lab-on-a-chip applications.Focus is not only on the development, characterization and functionalization of new materials and devices, but also on physical modeling, synthesis and device fabrication.

Research Areas: Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Food- and Water-borne Diseases, Nanotechnology

The molecular epidemiology and population genetics of zoonotic and veterinary bacterial pathogens.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Food- and Water-borne Diseases

Research focus includes the maintenance and transmission of vector-borne viruses, ecology of infectious diseases, host-parasite interactions, and the molecular epidemiology of viruses.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Infectious Diseases in Wildlife, Public Health Policy, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Molecular cell biology and discovery of drugs against the trypanosomatids Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania species.

Research Areas: Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

The filamentous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus, the most frequent agent of invasive aspergillosis, grows by highly polar tip extension which allows it to penetrate and severely damage host tissue. Lab is investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying polar growth of this pathogen.

Research Areas: Clinical Microbiology, Respiratory Diseases

Research in laboratory focuses on defining immunoprotective and immunopathogenic mechanisms in malarial infection during pregnancy. Conduct human studies in malaria-endemic western Kenya and also use mouse models and a cell culture system to characterize the maternal-fetal interaction during infection.

Research Areas: Immunology and Vaccines, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Function of a novel phosphatidylinositol phospholipase C in Trypanosoma cruzi; Ion homeostasis in Toxoplasma gondii; targeting of the isoprenoid pathway of Toxoplasma gondii.

Research Areas: Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Research focuses on viral diseases that are important to the poultry industry. Research objectives are: 1.) development of poultry vaccines and species independent diagnostic assays, 2.) increasing knowledge about interactions of cellular proteins with viral replication machinery, and 3.) analysis of determinants that characterize the antigenic makeup of viruses.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Immunology and Vaccines

Involved primarily with RSV and influenza-related clinical research projects. Research has been involved in addressing public health-related issues, especially vaccines, infections in child care, various RSV-related projects, and unusual/unique microbiology/infectious disease-related cases.

Research Areas: Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Immunology and Vaccines, Respiratory Diseases

Research in the laboratory focuses on transcriptional regulation and genome rearrangements in a strain of Acinetobacter baylyi. Successful treatment strategies may arise from comparisons between this bacterium and pathogenic Acinetobacter species and strains that are causing serious nosocomial infections worldwide.

Research Areas: Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases

Using a systems biology approach to understanding the developmental regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis in the parasite Trypanosoma brucei.

Research Areas: Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Research with goals to isolate, identify, and control parasites that infect humans and animals and can be acquired via contaminated food and water. Currently the lab is focused in Cyclospora cayetanensis, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Neospora, and Toxoplasma.

Research Areas: Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Food- and Water-borne Diseases, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Causes and consequences of heterogeneities in host-pathogen interactions. Development of predictive models for infectious diseases.

Research Areas: Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases

Interested in the role of adhesion proteins of the DBL-domain superfamily. Members of this superfamily play diverse roles, functioning both as ligands for erythrocyte receptors during host red cell invasion, and as cytoadherence proteins during sequestration of the parasite throughout the vasculature.

Research Areas: Agro- and Bio-security Threats, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Use the fruit fly as a model system to study the ecology of bacterial infections in natural populations. Aso use theoretical models to understand the role that pathogens might play in the evolution of aging.

Research Areas: Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Infectious Disease Modeling

Research focuses primarily on understanding the pathogenesis of tuberculosis and related mycobacterial diseases although a new program examining the virulence mechanisms and survival strategies of Francisella tularensis has been rapidly developing. Current collaborative international activities include tuberculosis diagnostic test development in Mexico and Buruli ulcer pathogenesis studies in Ghana.

Research Areas: Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Vaccines, Respiratory Diseases

Diagnosis and prevention of animals diseases with concentration on Johne’s Disease and leptospirosis in cattle. The research focus on studying the prevalence and developing diagnostic testing methodlogy.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Clinical Microbiology, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases

Uses structural biology to answer key questions about protein structure-function relationships aimed at better understanding molecular mechanisms of enzymatic reactions and other cellular processes. Keenly interested in understanding the structural features of larger multiprotein complexes in terms of mechanism allosterics and signal transduction.

Research Areas: Agro- and Bio-security Threats, Immunology and Vaccines, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

African trypanosomes evade the host immune response by regulated antigenic switching of its VSG coat. Current lab research focus concerns the function of a novel modified DNA base, called base J, on the regulation of telomeric VSG gene expression.

Research Areas: Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Laboratory studies the mechanisms used by pathogens to modulate the innate immune system in the search for therapeutics that can outwit these maneuvers. Focus is primarily on infections of macrophages, in particular, mycobacterial infections.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Immunology and Vaccines, Respiratory Diseases

Ecology and Evolution of bacterial pathogens with special emphasis on antimicrobial resistance.

Research Areas: Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases

Laboratory focuses on discovery and characterization of novel virulence genes involved in host colonization by pathogens in Burkholderia/Ralstonia group. Uses bioinformatic analyses, shotgun proteomics and in vivo expression profiling with microarrays to mine their genomes to identify novel virulence genes for subsequent analysis in hosts.

Research Areas: Agro- and Bio-security Threats, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases

Research focus includes the epidemiology and pathogenesis of wildlife diseases, diseases that affect both wildlife and domestic animal populations, and zoonotic diseases originating from wildlife populations.

Research Areas: Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Infectious Diseases in Wildlife

Primary research focuses on the discovery and biochemical analysis of factors that intracellular bacterial pathogens employ upon host cell invasion to disrupt phagosome-lysosome fusion pathways and general host membrane dynamics. Also interested in mechanisms eukaryotic cells utilize to identify specific membrane compartments during protein trafficking.

Research Areas: Clinical Microbiology, Respiratory Diseases

Laboratory studies the fundamental mechanisms that govern lysosomal biogenesis and vesicle trafficking. Interested in understanding the role of these processes in both inherited and acquired diseases.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Clinical Microbiology, Infectious Disease Modeling

Research program focuses on parasite- and virus-host interactions in invertebrates. Emphasis of study is on characterization of virulence genes, their interactions with the invertebrate immune and endocrine systems, and their effects on pathogenesis and disease transmission.

Research Areas: Agro- and Bio-security Threats, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Studying the cell and molecular biology of protozoan parasites responsible for AIDS associated opportunistic infections. Program spans from mechanistic studies on parasite biology to drug screening efforts.

Research Areas: Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

1.) Determination of the role of rickettsial pathogens in naturally infected dogs presenting with thrombocytopenia, circulating morulae or clinical signs suggestive of rickettsial disease 2.) Determination of reference values for protein C in clinically healthy dogs 3. Seroprevalence of, diagnosis of, comparison of different test for canine Lyme disease.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases

Work on the genomics and bioinformatics of prokaryotic mobile genetic elements (MGEs) focusing primarily on conjugative and mobilizable plasmids and on integrons. These elements play key roles in antibiotic multi-resistance which is now endemic throughout the world and a major factor in increasing healthcare costs in all countries.

Research Areas: Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases

Laboratory investigates the innate host-response from viral (highly pathogenic avian influenza) and fungal (Aspergillus fumigatus) pathogens in several of veterinary models of disease. Characterizing the host-pathogen interaction at different anatomical sites is paramount to understand disease pathogenesis and the development of vaccines.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Immunology and Vaccines, Respiratory Diseases

Research is focused on examining the relationships between culture change, health, and human disease. Specific focus includes how educational and economic variation influences the distribution of infectious disease, specifically helminth parasites, and the ways in which frequent disease exposure impacts childhood growth and development.

Research Areas: Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

The Tarleton laboratory focuses on immunity to the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. In addition to interests in the generation of specificity of T cell responses to T. cruzi, and the discovery of diagnostics and vaccines for this infection, the lab is involved in proteomic, transcriptomic and genomic analysis of this parasite and maintains a field project in Argentina dealing with human Chagas disease.

Research Areas: Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Immunology and Vaccines, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Research focus is to understand the molecular epidemiology of important multidrug resistant food borne pathogens in animals, food and humans. In addition, characterizing the pathogen to specific strain level is time consuming and very costly. Thus, the molecular characterization of antimicrobial resistance and development of effective detection system for food borne pathogens are the two most important research goals.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Food- and Water-borne Diseases

Interested in the detection and enumeration of food animal pathogens, ELISA serological test development and developing or improving diagnostic methods.

Research Areas: Clinical Microbiology, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Food- and Water-borne Diseases

Laboratory focuses on the interface of influenza viruses with human and domesticated animal populations. Studies involve the ability of influenza to cross species barriers, how the virus evolves to enable cross-species transmission and intervention strategies to address influenza-related disease; including novel detection and phenotyping technologies, vaccines, and therapeutics.

Research Areas: Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Vaccines, Respiratory Diseases

Research interest is to develop translational disease intervention strategies for important human viruses and emerging infectious diseases of zoonotic origin. Investigate the mechanisms of immunity and disease pathogenesis associated with infection to better understand the conceptual and functional differences between innate and adaptive immune responses that provide the foundation necessary to facilitate vaccine and antiviral therapeutic protocols. The laboratories leverage the talents of academic, government and industry partners to promote ‘bench-to-bedside’ and ‘bench-to-barnyard’ vaccines and therapeutics.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Vaccines, Nanotechnology, Respiratory Diseases

Works on mathematical models for infectious disease transmission. Additionally, is interested in the interface between animal and human health related to, but not limited to, zoonotic infections.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Infectious Disease Modeling

Research focuses on how cytokine signaling via Stat transcription factors contributes to host defense and autoimmunity.

Research Areas: Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Immunology and Vaccines, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Research focuses on the transmission dynamics of tuberculosis and its bi-directional interaction with HIV.

Research Areas: Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, Public Health Policy, Respiratory Diseases

Research centers on the design and implementation of public health policies, such as those for infectious diseases.

Research Areas: Public Health Policy

Molecular details of the interactions between anthelmintic drugs and the nervous systems of parasitic nematodes. Understanding, diagnosing and combating drug resistance in these parasites.

Research Areas: Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases

Particularly interested in the 3D structure of polysaccharides and lipids from pathogenic bacteria and in the properties that may be exploited in the design of carbohydrate-based vaccines. Employ a number of biophysical techniques, including computational simulation, x-ray diffraction and mass spectrometry.

Research Areas: Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Vaccines, Respiratory Diseases

Research program (single molecule study of biological molecular assemblies & systems) is highly inter- and multi-disciplinary which combines Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Material Science and Engineering. Detect biological events at the single-molecule level, which will be key to scientific advances in understanding, identifying, and developing therapies that promote human health.

Research Areas: Agro- and Bio-security Threats, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Nanotechnology

Laboratory focus is to better understand the ecology of vector-borne and parasitic pathogens in wildlife. Also interested in the evolution and phylogeny of these pathogens.

Research Areas: Ecology / Evolution of Infectious Diseases, Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Infectious Diseases in Wildlife

1.) Nanofabrication and characterization 2.) Chemical and biological sensor development

Research Areas: Agro- and Bio-security Threats, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Drug Discovery, Nanotechnology