Research

  My research focuses on the obligate human pathogen Haemophilus ducreyi, which is most well known for causing chancroid, a sexually transmitted disease that is prevalent in low-income areas of the world. Previously, chancroid was of interest because it is associated with an increased risk of transmission and acquisition of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). H. ducreyi has also been linked to limb ulcers in children in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa, etc.). 

Students in my lab have studied the evolutionary relationships among isolates of H. ducreyi, differences in antibiotic susceptibility among isolates, and the potential to use essential oils to inhibit growth of the bacteria. My students are also interested in why more men than women have chancroid and they are trying to find out the biological basis for this sex bias. Furthermore, we are interested in figuring out why this organism that was previously thought to be only sexually transmitted is being transmitted by some other, unknown, route. We address these questions with a variety of lab techniques, including DNA sequencing, classic bacteriology assays, bioinformatics, biochemical approaches, and work with biological vectors of disease.  

More recently, my students have started working with a new model organism, Callosobruchus maculatus, the bean beetle.  This is a significant agricultural pest. Our interests focus on the microbiome of the bean beetle. This work involves beetle care, classic bacteriology, PCR, sequencing, and bioinformatics.