Worley Lab
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About
An open question in infectious disease is how do intracellular pathogens exploit migratory host cells to disseminate away from the initial site of infection to the bloodstream and internal organs? This question is critical in the case of Salmonella as gastrointestinal infections rarely require medical intervention whereas bloodstream ones are fatal 20% of the time. Salmonella was conventionally believed to passively spread to the bloodstream. We established a new paradigm in host/pathogen interactions when we were the first to report that Salmonella can actively exploit the migratory properties of infected cells to accelerate its colonization of the blood and internal organs from the gastrointestinal tract. One of the main goals of our ongoing work is to characterize the transition – how does an enteric pathogen transit from the gastrointestinal tract to the blood. Intensive study over the years has focused on what Salmonella does in the gastrointestinal tract and at systemic sites. Less attention has been paid to the transition. Understanding better how pathogens transit from intestinal to systemic disease may uncover badly needed new drug targets. We will hopefully gather data that may provide insights into the context and underlying mechanisms involved in bacteremia with any pathogen.
Key Research Areas
• Bacteremia
• Sespsis
• Dissemination
• Bloodstream infections
Team
- Micah Worley, Ph.D.
Recent Publications
1. Worley, M.J. (2023). Immune evasion and persistence in enteric bacterial pathogens. Gut Microbes 15. 10.1080/19490976.2022.2163839.
2. Worley, M.J. (2023). Salmonella Bloodstream Infections. Trop Med Infect Dis 8. 10.3390/tropicalmed8110487.