Our Papers

"Our first paper published dives into the investigation of 53 previously established Klebsiella pneumoniae fitness factors. We exposed genetic mutants to oxidative, nitrosative, and macrophage-mediated stress, seeking to understand their individual contributions to resisting these distinct stressors. We found that each fitness factor has a unique role, but the favorite conclusions were drawn when we looked at the consistencies across all of the genes. We established that capsule does not enhance intracellular fitness within macrophages- despite being Klebsiella pneumoniae's canonical virulence factor. Additionally, a mutant's susceptibility to macrophage-mediated and nitrosative stress was positively correlated, indicating that the cells may use this stressor rather than ROS: the assumed favorite." - Lexi Wilcox, first-author