M. K. Waldor

Patterns of Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremic dissemination from the lung

This study tracks Klebsiella pneumoniae dissemination from the lung using barcoding, revealing two distinct patterns of bacterial spread and their associated host and bacterial factors.

Innate immune responses yield tissue-specific bottlenecks that scale with pathogen dose

This study identifies tissue-specific bottlenecks in innate immune responses that scale with pathogen dose during E. coli infection.

Genetic and immune determinants of E. coli liver abscess formation

This study identifies host genetic and immune factors that determine susceptibility to E. coli liver abscesses in mice using spatial and single-cell transcriptomics.

A bile metabolite atlas reveals infection-triggered interorgan mediators of intestinal homeostasis and defense

This study maps bile metabolites in mice, showing how infections alter bile composition and affect intestinal homeostasis and defense.

A tRNA modification in Mycobacterium tuberculosis facilitates optimal intracellular growth

The paper identifies a tRNA modification in Mycobacterium tuberculosis that supports its intracellular growth by showing that its absence reduces bacterial growth in macrophages.

Peptidyl tRNA hydrolase is required for robust prolyl-tRNA turnover in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The paper develops Cu-tRNAseq to study peptidyl tRNA turnover in Mtb, finding Pth is essential for prolyl-tRNA recycling and identifies Pth as a potential TB therapeutic target.

Reemergence of cholera in Haiti

The paper investigates the origins of a new cholera outbreak in Haiti in 2022 using genomic and phenotypic analysis of Vibrio cholerae isolates.

Quantitative dose-response analysis untangles host bottlenecks to enteric infection

This study quantifies how host bottlenecks affect the founding population of Citrobacter rodentium during infection, showing that microbiota and dose influence pathogen establishment.

Recent O-antigen diversification masks highly pathogenic STEC O104:H4

The paper identifies genomically similar, highly pathogenic STEC strains with diverse O-antigens, masking their potential risk due to rare serotypes.

Dual control of lysogeny and phage defense by a phosphorylation-based toxin/antitoxin system

This paper identifies a phosphorylation-based toxin/antitoxin system in Pseudomonas aeruginosa that regulates prophage activation and defends against lytic phages.

Variation in supplemental carbon dioxide requirements defines lineage-specific antibiotic resistance acquisition in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

This study shows that metabolic variation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae, specifically CO2 dependence linked to a beta-carbonic anhydrase mutation, influences the likelihood of acquiring ciprofloxacin resistance.

Sequential action of a tRNA base editor in conversion of cytidine to pseudouridine

The paper characterizes a sequential C-to-U and U-to-Ψ RNA editing process in Vibrio cholerae tRNA mediated by TrcP, revealing its role in coupling tRNA modification states to iron availability.

Candidate undecaprenyl phosphate translocases enable conditional microbial fitness and pathogenesis

The paper identifies DUF368-containing proteins as undecaprenyl phosphate translocases essential for bacterial alkaline fitness and pathogenesis in Vibrio cholerae and Staphylococcus aureus.

Non-toxigenic Vibrio cholerae challenge strains for evaluating vaccine efficacy and inferring mechanisms of protection

This study develops non-toxigenic V. cholerae challenge strains to evaluate vaccine efficacy and infer protection mechanisms, showing they accurately measure colonization reduction and vibriocidal antibody responses.

Pathogen clonal expansion underlies multiorgan dissemination and organ-specific outcomes during systemic infection

This study shows that clonal expansion of rare bacterial clones drives organ-specific outcomes during systemic infection by E. coli.

Refined quantification of infection bottlenecks and pathogen dissemination with STAMPR

This paper introduces STAMPR, a method to improve the accuracy of measuring infection bottlenecks and pathogen dissemination using barcoded bacterial data.

A genome-scale antibiotic screen in Serratia marcescens identifies YdgH as a conserved modifier of cephalosporin and detergent susceptibility

Proteomic interrogation of the pathogen-host interface in cholera

The paper investigates the proteomic composition of the pathogen-host interface in cholera using a rabbit model and identifies SP-D as a novel intestinal defense factor.

Identification of a family of Vibrio type III secretion system effectors that contain a conserved serine/threonine kinase domain

The paper identifies a new family of Vibrio type III secretion system effectors containing a conserved serine/threonine kinase domain, found in diverse Vibrio species and Shewanella baltica.

Deciphering Functional Redundancy in the Human Microbiome

The paper investigates functional redundancy in the human microbiome by analyzing genomic content networks and developing a genome evolution model to explain their topological features.

Muc2 mucin limits Listeria monocytogenes dissemination and modulates its population dynamics

This study shows that Muc2 mucin restricts Listeria monocytogenes spread from the intestine and affects its population dynamics during infection.

Humans surviving cholera develop antibodies against Vibrio cholerae O-specific polysaccharide that inhibit pathogen motility

This study shows that antibodies against Vibrio cholerae O-specific polysaccharide inhibit bacterial motility and provide protection against cholera in a murine model.

Genetic analyses link the conserved inner membrane protein CvpA to the σEextracytoplasmic stress response

This study identifies CvpA as a regulator of the σE stress response in EHEC, linking it to bile resistance and intestinal colonization.

Dissecting serotype-specific contributions to live oral cholera vaccine efficacy

This study evaluates the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of different serotype variants of a live oral cholera vaccine in a germ-free mouse model, finding minimal impact of O1 serotype variation on vaccine function.

Shiga toxin remodels the intestinal epithelial transcriptional response to Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli

This study investigates how Shiga toxin (Stx) from EHEC infection remodels the intestinal epithelial transcriptional response, highlighting its role in modulating immune signaling and coagulation pathways.

Transient intestinal colonization by a live-attenuated oral cholera vaccine induces protective immune responses in streptomycin-treated mice

This study shows that transient intestinal colonization by a live-attenuated cholera vaccine in antibiotic-treated mice induces stronger immune protection than inactivated vaccine.

A temperature-dependent translational switch controls biofilm development in Vibrio cholerae

This study identifies a temperature-dependent translational switch mediated by BipA that controls biofilm development in Vibrio cholerae.

Functional remodeling of lysosomes by type I interferon modifies host defense

This study identifies how type I interferon remodels lysosomes to enhance Salmonella virulence and pathogenesis in intestinal epithelial cells.

An oral inoculation infant rabbit model for Shigella infection

This paper establishes an oral infection model in infant rabbits to study Shigella pathogenesis, showing it replicates human disease features and depends on T3SS and IcsA.

Modulation of peptidoglycan synthesis by recycled cell wall tetrapeptides

This study identifies LdcV as a key enzyme in Vibrio cholerae that cleaves recycled murotetrapeptides, showing its role in maintaining cell wall integrity and synthesis by preventing toxic accumulation of tetrapeptide intermediates.