A5047589933- Viral Infections and Vectors
- Zoonotic diseases and public health
- Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology
- Vector-borne infectious diseases
- Brucella: diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment
- Vector-Borne Animal Diseases
- Microbial Natural Products and Biosynthesis
- Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases
- Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- Animal Diversity and Health Studies
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction
- Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
- Diet and metabolism studies
- Digestive system and related health
- Isotope Analysis in Ecology
- Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions
- Influenza Virus Research Studies
- Radioactive contamination and transfer
- CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
- Radioactivity and Radon Measurements
- Infections and bacterial resistance
- Nutrition, Genetics, and Disease
Los Alamos National Laboratory
2021-2025
Michigan State University
2024
University of Utah
2013-2021
Bacteria of the genus Brucella are facultative intracellular parasites that cause brucellosis, a severe animal and human disease. Recently, group taxonomists merged brucellae with primarily free-living, phylogenetically related
African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a significant reservoir host for many zoonotic and parasitic infections in Africa. These include range of viruses pathogenic bacteria, such as tick-borne rickettsial organisms. Despite the considerations mammalian blood sterile environment, microbiome sequencing could become crucial agnostic biosurveillance. This study investigated clinically healthy wild buffaloes Kenya to determine its applicability testing bacteria apparently animals. Whole serum...
Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, is an emerging pathogen that has potential to cause severe chronic infections in animals and humans worldwide. The detrimental impact on public health projected be higher low- middle-income countries given their lower capacity sustain effective surveillance response measures. We implemented a national serosurvey cattle Kenya map spatial distribution pathogen. study used serum samples were collected from randomly selected different...
ABSTRACT We present the genome assemblies of two similar Paeniglutamicibacter strains, ORCA_105 and MACA_103, isolated from Mammoth Oregon Cave systems, respectively. These closely related, but distinct genomes will provide a resource for those studying genomic adaptation to caves.
Co-infection, especially with pathogens of dissimilar genetic makeup, may result in a more devastating impact on the host. Investigations co-infection neglected zoonotic wildlife are necessary to inform appropriate prevention and control strategies reduce disease burden potential transmission these between wildlife, livestock humans. This study assessed co-exposure various Kenyan wildflife species Brucella spp, Coxiella burnetii Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV). A total 363 sera from 16...
Chelonians (turtles, tortoises, and sea turtles) grow scute keratin in sequential layers over time. Once formed, acts as an inert reservoir of environmental information. For chelonians inhabiting areas with legacy or modern nuclear activities, their has the potential to act a time-stamped record radionuclide contamination environment. Here, we measure bulk (i.e. homogenized scute) samples chelonian from Republic Marshall Islands throughout United States America, including at Barry M....
In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), effective brucellosis control is limited, in part, by the lack of long-term commitments governments to disease and absence reliable national human livestock population-based data inform policies. Therefore, we conducted a study establish prevalence develop risk map for Brucella spp. cattle contribute plans eliminate Kenya year 2040. We randomly generated 268 geolocations distributed them across Kenya, proportionate area each five agroecological zones associated...
Brucella spp. and Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) are classified as priority zoonotic agents in Kenya, based on their public health socioeconomic impact the country. Data pathogen-specific co-exposure levels is scarce due to limited active surveillance. This study investigated seroprevalence of RVFV associated risk factors among slaughterhouse workers Isiolo County, northern Kenya. A cross-sectional serosurvey was done all 19 slaughterhouses enrolling 378 participants into study. The overall...
There are a staggering number of publicly available bacterial genome sequences (at writing, 2.0 million assemblies in NCBI's GenBank alone), and the deposition rate continues to increase. This wealth data begs for phylogenetic analyses place these within an evolutionary context. A placement not only aids taxonomic classification but informs evolution novel phenotypes, targets selection, horizontal gene transfer. Building trees from multi-gene codon alignments is laborious task that requires...
The threat of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases continues to be a challenge public global health security. Cooperative biological engagement programs act build partnerships collaborations between scientists professionals strengthen capabilities in biosurveillance. Biosurveillance is the systematic process detecting, reporting, responding especially dangerous pathogens pandemic potential before they become outbreaks, epidemics, pandemics. One important tool biosurveillance next...
Pathogens threaten human lives and disrupt economies around the world. This has been clearly illustrated by current COVID-19 pandemic outbreaks in livestock food crops. To manage pathogen emergence spread, cooperative engagement programs develop strengthen biosafety, biosecurity, biosurveillance capabilities among local researchers to detect pathogens. In this case study, we describe efforts of a collaboration between Los Alamos National Laboratory Uganda Virus Research Institute, primary...
Mucoromycota fungi and their Mollicutes-related endobacteria (MRE) are an ideal system for studying bacterial-fungal interactions evolution due to the long-term intimate nature of interactions. However, methods detecting MRE face specific challenges poor representation in sequencing databases coupled with high sequence divergence genomes, making traditional similarity searches unreliable. This has precluded estimations on diversity associated Mucoromycota. To determine prevalence previously...
Brucellosis remains a significant health and economic challenge for livestock humans globally. Despite its public implications, the factors driving endemic persistence of
Adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) is a powerful tool to improve phenotypes in microbial cell factories for biotechnological processes. For example, ALE can be utilized growth on alternative carbon sources such as acetate. Acetate becoming promising feedstock produce variety of bio-products, but acetate slow relative other preferred and toxic cells. However, homogenous environment lead evolutionary trade-offs sources, which might detrimental feedstocks that contain multiple sugars. Here, we...
Experimental evolution (serial passage) of Friend virus complex (FVC) in mice demonstrates phenotypic adaptation to specific host major histocompatibility (MHC) genotypes. These evolved viral lines show increased fitness and virulence their host-genotype-of-passage, but display tradeoffs when infecting unfamiliar MHC Here, we deep sequence these an attempt discover the genetic basis FVC adaptation. The principal prediction for genotype-specific is that unique mutations would rise high...
There are a staggering number of publicly available bacterial genome sequences (at writing, 2.0 million assemblies in NCBI′s GenBank alone), and the deposition rate continues to increase. This wealth data begs for phylogenetic analyses place these within an evolutionary context. A placement not only aids taxonomic classification, but informs evolution novel phenotypes, targets selection, horizontal gene transfer. Building trees from multi-gene codon alignments is laborious task that requires...
Respiratory pathogens cause high rates of morbidity and mortality globally have pandemic potential. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, influenza surveillance was significantly interrupted because resources being diverted to testing sequencing. Based on recommendations from World Health Organization, Uganda Virus Research Institute, National Influenza Center laboratory integrated genomic sequencing into program. We describe results samples collected 16 sentinel sites located throughout as well...