The most important medical advance in history was the reduction in mortality by infectious diseases that occurred in the 20th century. This was a result of improved sanitation, the development of many effective vaccines and the introduction of antibiotics. Unfortunately, the last two decades have witnessed a return of infectious diseases as a major cause of mortality and morbidity. The causes for this calamity include the emergence of new pathogens, the spread of resistant organisms, medical progress that predisposes to infection and the HIV pandemic. This, together with the realization that many organisms can be potentially engineered as biological weapons has heightened resurgence in microbial pathogenesis research.

The Casadevall Laboratory is interested in two fundamental questions: 1) How do microbes cause disease? and, 2) How do hosts protect themselves against microbes? To address these large general-type questions the laboratory has a multidisciplinary research program that spans several areas of basic immunology and microbiology. A major focus of the laboratory is the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans, a ubiquitous environmental microbe that is a frequent cause of disease in immunocompromised individuals. In recent years the laboratory has also worked with other microorganisms including Bacillus anthracis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Histoplasma capsulatum.

Organisms Being Studied:

Cryptococcus neoformans: This organism is a fungus that is a relatively frequent cause of disease in individuals with impaired immunity. C. neoformans is unique among pathogenic microbes in that it is a eukaryote with a polysaccharide capsule that is also a facultative intracellular pathogen. There are many projects in the laboratory that seek to understand the mechanisms of host defense against C. neoformans and how the fungal virulence factors contribute to disease.

Bacillus anthracis: This organism is a bacterium that is pathogenic for herbivores. B. anthracis is the etiologic agent of anthrax and is also a major agent of biological warfare because it produces spores that can be easily dispersed. The laboratory is interested in devising antibody-based countermeasures to protect against anthrax.

For more information about this site, please contact Magdia De Jesus
Credit
File Last Updated: Wednesday, April 12, 2006