Description:

Title : "Immunometabolism and Staphylococcus aureus Skin Infections"

Anthony Richardson, PhD, Associate Professor, Dept. of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh

Faculty Host: Mee-Ngan Frances Yap, PhD

Topic:

 S. aureus is an important human pathogen causing diseases ranging from mild skin infections to more invasive presentations such as sepsis, endocarditis and osteomyelitis. In order to cause disease, the pathogen must metabolically adapt to the host immune response. At the same time, the host immune cells at the site of infection must tune their metabolic strategy to efficiently mount an effective immune response. We study both facets of this host:pathogen interaction; the metabolic adaptations made by the bacterium to the host immune response as well as the metabolic strategies used by host cells to mount this immune response.