Alexis McCalla
Program: Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis
Current advisor: Mario F. Feldman, PhD
Undergraduate university: University of Oklahoma
Research summary
Acinetobacter bacteria are frequently multidrug resistant and considered to be an urgent antibiotic resistance threat by the CDC. One way in which Acinetobacter acquire antibiotic resistance is through plasmids. A family of large conjugative plasmids was identified in multiple Acinetobacter strains which, in addition to imparting resistance to multiple antibiotics, modify bacterial tropism, replicative ability in macrophages, activity of the type VI secretion system, and other virulence factors. I am studying how these plasmids regulate these and other virulence factors, the conjugative capabilities of these plasmids, and the impact of regulation by the plasmids on their own transmission.
Graduate publications