Our Research
How do microbes persist for years within otherwise healthy hosts?
We are interested in identifying and understanding molecular mechanisms that
pathogens use to establish and maintain chronic infections. The lab focuses on
a model of bacterial chronic disease, Salmonella enterica infection of mice.
Salmonellae cause natural systemic infections of mice. Ingested bacteria
traverse the gastrointestinal tract lining to gain access to the lymphatic
system. Salmonellae establish chronic infection in professional phagocytes,
specifically macrophages, in the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, and bone marrow.
Our research aims at understanding the regulation of bacterial signaling
pathways important for host infection, the function of the downstream genes,
and the nature of the macrophages in which the bacteria reside. We use a
combination of bacterial genetics and biochemistry, DNA microarrays, tissue
culture, microscopy, and mouse infection models to address these questions.