Kathryn Haley
COURSES TAUGHT
BMS 212 - Introductory Microbiology
BMS 213 - Microbiology Lab
BMS 223 - Public Health Concepts
EDUCATION
B.S. in Biology (2004), Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology (2013), Vanderbilt University
RESEARCH INTERESTS
During the infectious process a battle ensues between the human host and the bacterial pathogen over access to various nutrients including metals. The focus of my research is to gain a better understanding of how bacteria acquire nutrients during an infection and how availability of various metals influence disease outcomes. One bacterial pathogen I am currently researching is the gastric pathogen, Helicobacter pylori which colonizes the stomachs of over half of the world’s human population and is the leading cause of gastric cancer. I am specifically interested in understanding how access to both iron and zinc regulate the cag type IV secretion system which is responsible for injecting host cells with the oncogenic protein, CagA. Furthermore, I am interested in identifying how environmental levels of zinc alter H. pylori flagella production and therefore influence the initial steps of colonization. In addition to studying H. pylori I also study the skin commensal Staphylococcus lugdunensis which is a coagulase-negative Staphylococcal species that has the potential to cause aggressive and progressive disease. Currently little is known regarding the molecular mechanisms deployed by S. lugdunensis that enable it to transition from a harmless component of the skin flora to a deadly pathogen. I am interested in identifying genes involved in metal acquisition and metal detoxification in S. lugdunensis.