Research:

Keywords: Bacterial pathogenesis; Host-pathogen interactions; Yersinia; Nitric Oxide; Phagocytes

Research Activities

Antibiotics have been utilized for decades in the treatment of bacterial infections, however antibiotic resistant infections are becoming increasingly more common, which limits the number of treatment options for patients.  There is a critical need to develop new therapeutics, and to do this, we need to better understand exactly how bacteria survive and replicate within host tissues.  Many factors have been identified that promote bacterial growth in the host, however it remains unclear if all the individual bacteria within a population produce these factors or only a subset of the bacterial population.  We have found that interactions with distinct immune cell subsets promote changes in bacterial gene expression, and we are currently striving to understand how this impacts antibiotic treatment efficacy.  Our research has focused on two mouse models of infection with the bacterial pathogens,Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Staphylococcus aureus. Some current projects include:

• Is nitric oxide from monocytes sufficient to impact bacterial growth and antibiotic susceptibility? Do other host-derived stresses impact bacterial survival during antibiotic treatment?
• Do neutrophil interactions impact which aureus cells produce toxins? Is the presence of neutrophils promoting higher levels of toxin production? Are secreted factors from macrophages also altering bacterial gene expression?

Publications and Interests: https://jhu.pure.elsevier.com/en/persons/kimberly-davis

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/departments/w-harry-feinstone-department-of-molecular-microbiology-and-immunology/research-and-practice/labs/davis-lab