Microbiology and Pathogenic Mechanisms

Infectious agents continue to wield their power to cause disease - witness the ongoing AIDS/HIV epidemic. Herpes simplex virus infection is serious, and deadly in AIDS patients, as are many opportunistic infections, such as Pneumocystis in AIDS patients, Pseudomonas in cystic fibrosis patients, and Histoplasma in immunocompromised individuals. Cytomegalovirus virus is an important cause of birth defects, and contributes to atherosclerosis. Though not widely appreciated, whooping cough causes about half a million deaths globally each year, and the incidence of Pertussis infection in the United States has been steadily increasing for the last 30 years, in spite of a strong vaccination program.

The Department of Molecular Genetics has numerous research groups in bacterial, viral and fungal pathogenesis that confront all of these major medical concerns (and several others). Moreover, we have established a new doctoral and postdoctoral training program in "Biologic Threat Agents" that encompasses a multidisciplinary and multidepartmental training faculty to confront the many issues arising from the deliberate release of infectious microorganisms.