Nate Stone | Leptospirosis Research

Nate Stone Shares His Research from Puerto Rico

Friday, March 31th, 2023

Leptospira bacteria are maintained in reservoir animals (such as livestock and rodents) and shed into the environment through urine, leading to transient contamination of soil and water. During flooding events, such as hurricanes, the distribution of these infectious bacteria can be amplified and widespread, leading to an uptick in infections.

Dr. Wagner’s research team has extensive experience detecting and characterizing dangerous pathogens in the environment, such as Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis. Dr. Wagner tasked research coordinator Nate Stone from his research team with leading this project, including the design of novel field and laboratory methods to conduct this research.

PMI’s environmental survey for Leptospira bacteria in Puerto Rico revealed the widespread distribution and ubiquitous presence of the bacteria in soil and water across the island and led to new insights regarding the bacteria’s ability to persist and potentially proliferate in water-soaked soil. We also identified a tremendous amount of previously unknown diversity within the genus Leptospira, including the discovery of an entirely new species, Leptospira sanjuanensis. This work was conducted in collaboration with partners at the United States Department of Agriculture in both Puerto Rico and Ames, Iowa.

Read the First Publication

Read the Second Publication

 

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    Is this a good fit?

    Pretty much, I need someone who knows how to Google a solution and implement it. Say, we need closed captioning on our videos. You’d search "How to close caption", watch YouTube videos, then run a speech to text on the audio track. I’d give you login to our Vimeo account and you’d ask me to check it after it’s done. Simple, right?

    You’d probably learn how to:

    • Admin our Wordpress theme
    • Use a complex Sketch file
    • Produce marketing videos
    • Optimize posts for SEO

    Details

    This position is open to NAU students. I believe there’s a max of 30 hours a week. Rate based on experience. You'd be a promising candidate if you know how to write. It'd be good if you aren't a stranger to HTML/CSS.

    Okay, I want in.

    Well, send me a cover letter with your resume, bug me for a convo and we’ll discuss.

    Ken Ng | Creative Director of PMI

    ken.ng@nau.edu LinkedIn
    Get Work Experience
  • Associate Director of PMI

    Dave Wagner

    Wagner is a disease ecologist whose primary research interests are the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases. He uses genetic and genomic variation within pathogen, vector and host species to better understand the distribution, ecology, evolutionary history, and trans­mission patterns of infectious diseases. Wagner, who has published more than 140 articles in scholarly journals, is one of the world’s leading experts on several pathogens and infectious diseases, including plague and tularemia.

    Google Scholar LinkedIn
    Dave Wagner
  • Executive Director of The Pathogen & Microbiome Institute

    Paul Keim

    PMI has recruited world class scientists in genomics, infectious disease, computational analysis, bioinformatics, and microbiome research. They work together with NAU students in the state-of-the-art Applied Research & Development building. This building was awarded Platinum LEEDs status as one of the greenest buildings in the world. It provides a warm, interactive, and productive environment for students and faculty.

    PMI attracts and trains Arizona’s brightest and mostly highly motivated students. They form teams with faculty and participate in a wide range of disciplines where computer science meets microbiology, in the context of ecosystems and evolutionary principles.

    PMI scientists have been highly successful at obtaining research funding and this provides the support for cutting edge research and paid internships.

    LinkedIn
    Paul Keim



  • Research Assistant

    Kaitlyn Parra

    Research Assistant working on novel fungal species closely related to known human and mammalian pathogens. The goal is to elucidate their role in the environment and relationship with mammals in the region.

    LinkedIn
    Kaitlyn Parra
  • NAU Graduate
    PMI Research Assistant

    Adriana Avery

    Adriana studied the basics of practical computing for biologists, learned how to analyze bacterial genomic sequences using computational tools, such as NCBI Blast and Mauve Align which edit genomic sequences so that researchers can understand and interpret DNA sequences. She studied how to review literature on the bacteria, Rickettsia sp., in order to understand the fundamentals of scientific writing style.

    Her experience at PMI is helping her future in the healthcare industry and gave her the necessary skills to become a medical scribe.

    LinkedIn
    Adriana Avery
  • Undergraduate Researcher

    George Testo

    After working at TGen North as a summer internship as a Helios Scholar, George continues his research in the Cope Lab. With NIH grant known as RISE (Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement), he hopes to use this outstanding support to help patients suffering from chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and or cystic fibrosis (CF), while he writes his undergraduate thesis.

    LinkedIn
    George Testo
  • Director of HCMMC / Associate Professor in Biology

    Bridget Barker

    Associate Professor in Biology, Bridget oversees the HCMMC facility and supervises in vivo COVID-19 research effort and specialized in Coccidioides research. Professor Barker completed her Ph.D. in population genomics and ecology of Coccidioides at the University of Arizona in Tucson. She has returned to working on Coccidioides, expanding from the previous genomics work into transcriptomics, both in vitro and in vivo, to understand gene expression changes over the course of infection, as well as the morphological shift from mycelia/arthoconidia to spherules. Professor Barker is also interested in developing methods to detect Coccidioides in soil. Current funding is NIAID R21grant (sexual cycle in Coccidioides), a ABRC new investigator grant and PGP grant (Cocci DNA detection in soil development project) through NAU.

    LinkedIn HCMMC
    Bridget Barker
  • Manager of ABSL3 Facility

    Heather Mead

    PhD Candidate in Biology, Heather manages day-to-day operations in the ABSL3 and facilitates smooth workflow, compliance with biosafety protocols and training of new staff.

    LinkedIn HCMMC
    Heather Mead
  • Undergraduate Researcher

    Breezy Brock

    Under the supervision of Dr. Crystal Hepp and Dr. Viacheslav Fofanov at the Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Breezy participates in various projects studying the prevalence, movement, and evolution of pathogens such as West Nile Virus (WNV), Rabies Virus, COVID 19, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, and Streptococcus sobrinus. Upon graduating from NAU, she plans to become a board-certified veterinary pathologist with a Ph.D. in Microbiology and conduct research on host-pathogen interactions at a cellular level in animals and humans to develop new means for disease prevention.

    LinkedIn
    Breezy Brock
  • Get Hands On Experience

    Apply to be a Research Assistant

    Pathogen & Microbiome Institute (PMI) at NAU is an internationally recognized research facility focused on developing technologies to better understand and manage pathogens that affect humans and wildlife.

    PMI is committed to the professional development of undergraduate student employees and accept students from diverse departments (Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Business). Students in our program work on exciting research projects or provide logistical support (business office, and IT) under the careful mentorship of faculty professors, staff scientists, and associate directors.

    There are over 100 faculty, full time staff, graduate and undergraduate students currently conducting research at PMI. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more to possibly expand your horizon.

    Apply Now
    Apply to be a Research Assistant
  • The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute

    The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute (PMI) is a research unit at NAU that spans departments and colleges to gather infectious disease and microbiome scientists into a single multi-disciplinary environment. The joint efforts span computational, genomic, microbiology, immunology, and public health disciplines to generate synergy that can’t be achieved within academic silos. The world-class science makes for an ideal training environment for students to achieve their personal professional goals. PMI is closely associated with TGen North, with whom the institute shares infrastructure to maximize Arizona’s investment in science.

    The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute

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