The Microbiology Program welcomes Kaitlin "Dari" Trujillo as the new Academic Advisor for the program. Dari will begin with the program on August 31st. We thank Kate Johansen for her many years of service to the program and wish her the best in her future endeavors.
News
Congratulations to UA Microbiology Undergraduate Haley WIlliams
Wed, 06/14/2017 - 15:22
Haley, a rising sophomore has been awarded an Undergraduate Reserch Fellowship by the American Society of Microbiology. These competitive awards support summer research, participation in national meetings, and professional development for promising young microbiologists. Haley is working with Drs. Joseph Spraker and Betsy Arnold to study...
56th Annual ASM Regional Meeting in Tucson on April 1st, 2017
Fri, 02/17/2017 - 18:31
The University of Arizona and Dr. VK Viswanathan, President Elect of the Arizona/Southern Nevada American Society of Microbiology Branch, will be hosting the 56th Annual Meeting of the Arizona/Southern Nevada ASM Branch.
When: Saturday, April 1st, 2017
Where: University of Arizona
For abstract submission and other details,...
Plant Sciences Faculty Member publishes a review on modern challenges in bacterial classification
Wed, 02/15/2017 - 18:06
Dr. David Baltrus of the School of Plant Sciences published a review in Trends in Microbiology (June 2016), describing the challenges and complexities in modern bacterial taxonomy, using Pseudomonas syringae as an example. He proposes the need to use whole genome sequencing with relational classification to allow strain comparisons...
ACBS Researchers Identify Cell Surface Polymers Essential for Cell Shape and Involved in Host-Recognition
Wed, 02/15/2017 - 17:17
The laboratories of Dr. VK Viswanathan and Gayatri Vedantam recently published their findings on the importance of the Clostridium difficile cell wall glycopolymers PSII in bacterial cell shape, and cell surface polysaccharide deposition. Mutants with decreased deposition are hypervirulent, possibly leading to altered cell surface...
ACBS researcher identifies a virulence plasmid in a bacterial pathogen of shrimp
Fri, 09/18/2015 - 19:13
The laboratory of Dr. Don Lightner collaborated on the determination that the bacterium, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, gains virulence on shrimp via acquisition of a plasmid that produces adeadly toxin. For the details read this paper in PNAS.
Archaebacteria may help mitigate methane production by livestock
Fri, 09/18/2015 - 19:02
The Laboratory of Dr. Andre Denis-Wright, Director of ACBS, reviews the identification of archaebacterial groups that may mitigate methane production by livestock animals. For details see their review.
Potential Valley Fever Vaccine Developed at UA
Fri, 09/11/2015 - 15:13
Through a collaboration between Marc Orbach (Plant Sciences) and Lisa Shubitz (ACBS), a vaccine with potential to prevent valley fever has been developed. Read about it in the Arizona Daily Star:
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Faculty in ACBS identify critical E. coli virulence effector for rabbit infection
Tue, 08/11/2015 - 14:55
A team of researchers led by Dr. Scott Wilbur, in the labs of Dr. VK Viswanathan and Dr. Gayatri Vedantam recently published their findings on "The Secreted Effector Protein EspZ Is Essential for Virulence of Rabbit Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli" in the journal "Infection and Immunity". They demonstrated that the secreted protein, EspZ,...
UA Microbiologists fast-track new drug for Valley Fever
Thu, 01/08/2015 - 15:25
The AZ Daily Star profiles the work of a group of UA microbiologists led by Dr. John...
UA Microbiologists help show how microbes control methane dynamics from thawing permafrost
Thu, 01/08/2015 - 15:15
UA Microbiologists collaborated with UA Biogeochemists and scientists at other institutions around the globe to help characterize the role of a recently-discovered microbe in controlling emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane from thawing permafrost, described...
New antibiotic developed from soil microbes!
Thu, 01/08/2015 - 15:01
New antibiotic developed from previously-uncultured soil microbe, using novel methodology, and showing minimal potential for developing resistance - read the NYtimes article HERE!
Fungal Foray Sunday September 14th
Fri, 09/12/2014 - 12:44
Join UA mycologists for a fun day on Mt. Lemmon searching for fungi.