Student Mentee(s): Quinn Eldridge, Arianna Sitzmann

Our laboratory investigates the mechanisms by which the obligate intracellular pathogens Chlamydia trachomatis and Orientia tsutsugamushi co-opt a vast array of essential host cell processes to promote bacterial entry, survival, and replication. Our primary research goal is to elucidate how these pathogens utilize secreted effector proteins to carve out a replicative niche within a mammalian host cell, all while redirecting the flow of energy and nutrients to the pathogen. C  trachomatis is the leading cause of noncongential blindness and is the most common sexually transmitted bacterial infection worldwide. The vector-borne pathogen O. tsutsugamushi causes the life-threatening human disease scrub typhus, which is endemic in large portions of Asia, but the global distribution is rapidly increasing. There is no vaccine for either pathogen and case rates are rapidly increasing. By understanding the molecular mechanism that govern infection, we can develop better tools to prevent and treat these diseases.