Bacterial Pathogenesis

Our mechanistic understanding of bacterial pathogenesis is fundamental to our ability to diagnose, treat, and prevent bacterial diseases. Moreover, as rapidly evolving populations of antibiotic-resistant bacteria spread worldwide, efforts made by our microbiologists to elucidate the genetic, molecular, and cellular elements responsible for a bacterium’s virulence become increasingly vital to our survival. Our faculty explore the mechanistic basis of pathogenesis for such prominent pathogens as enterohemorrhagic E. coli and uropathogenic E. coli, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Listeria monocytogenes. How these organisms colonize and invade host cells or tissues, cause damage to their hosts, and elude or alter host immune responses represent the primary themes under which more focused, innovative investigations are led by our bacterial pathogenesis faculty.