Research

The research projects in the laboratory deal with the pathogenic bacteria, such as diarrhogenic Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella, and Listeria, that cause food-borne diseases and zoonoses. The projects are directed toward understanding the molecular mechanism of 1) how these bacterial pathogens respond to the surroundings to exert their virulence, 2) how they induce pathological alterations in host cells, and 3) how the host cells respond at molecular and cellular levels defending themselves against the pathogens’ attack. Microbiological, biochemical, immunological, and genetic procedures, as well as cell biology techniques, are employed to visualize the molecular events during the course of host-parasite interactions.