Bacterial Pathogens

A molecular biologist cultures an ecological perspective of biothreats in his new role at the Emerging Pathogens Institute.

EPI investigator KC Jeong aims to uncover the next generation of antimicrobials. From his microbiology lab to an experimental farm, his research explores how food animals are affected by novel and drug-resistant pathogens — and what kills them.

Four EPI researchers have contributed to the discovery of two molecules shown to be effective at curbing Gram-negative Burkholderia bacterial infections, which cause the highly lethal tropical disease melioidosis in humans and animals.

A new study by an international research team, including UF medical geographer and EPI investigator Sadie Ryan, identifies global regions most at risk of -- and most resilient to -- citrus greening. There is no cure for infected trees, and the disease has wiped out millions of acres of citrus crops worldwide.

New research led by EPI-IFAS researcher KC Jeong describes for the first time precisely how the Legionnaire's disease bacterium evades detection by the immune system.

An Emerging Pathogens Institute microbiologist has identified high concentrations of naturally-occurring antibiotic-resistant microbes within the guts of grazing cows and calves fed a diet free from antibiotics. The source? Soil, water and forage found in the cows’ environment.

Emerging Pathogens Institute researchers trace the origin of dangerous new strains of Shigella bacteria that present novel threats to public health.

B. pseudomallei possess intrinsic antibiotic resistance, do not always acquire resistance genes from other bacteria via usual route.

Once thought to live only in Southeast Asia, the bacteria that cause melioidosis are now known to exist in South and Central America plus the Caribbean.

EPI investigator Afsar Ali led a study characterizing how the pathogen that causes cholera persists in wild, low-nutrient aquatic environments for decades.