Miami University

Food-borne pathogens topic of lecture

Alison D. O’Brien, chair and professor of microbiology and immunology at Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md., will lecture on "Profile of Food-borne Pathogens: Escherichia coli 0157:H7 and other Shiga Toxin-producing E. coli" at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, in 218 Pearson Hall.

The lecture is part of the microbiology department’s Distinguished Lecture Series.
O’Brien, internationally recognized for her research on bacterial disease of the intestine, kidney and urinary tract, has published more than 100 research papers and reviews.

Particularly significant is her research on the pathogenesis of deadly Escherichia coli 0157:H7, which can be transmitted through undercooked hamburger.

O’Brien and colleagues have extensively researched various toxins produced by food-borne pathogens such as salmonella and E. coli.

O’Brien received her bachelor’s degree from University of California, Davis and a Ph.D. in medical microbiology from Ohio State University’s School of Medicine. She is editor-in-chief of Infection and Immunity, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

The lecture is free and open to the public. An Ohio Academic Challenge Grant funds the series.

Date Published: 11/07/2002
Volume: 22   Number: 15