Michael J. Parmely, Ph.D.

Professor
Interim Chair of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics and Immunology

Ph.D., University of Iowa, 1974

Office: 3003 Hixon | Lab: 4010 Orr Major
913-588-7053 | email

Research Interests

The facultative intracellular bacterium Francisella tularensis is an organism that is only rarely associated with disease in human beings, but has gained a great deal of recent attention due to its potential use as a biowarfare agent. The organism is highly infectious by the pulmonary route, and a highly protective vaccine against the aerosol form of exposure does not currently exist. Recent studies have focused on gaining a more complete understanding of the pathogenesis of tularemia and defining suitable vaccine candidates.

Our current research is designed to:

• Identify immune correlates of protection against pulmonary and systemic tularemia
• Define the potential role of immune responses to the pathogen in the induction of host tissue damage
• Determine the unique features of immunity to the Type A subspecies of F. tularensis that distinguish them from the responses to less virulent subspecies
• Understand the basis for immune evasion by Type A F. tularensis strains

Selected Publications

Bokhari, S.M., K.-J. Kim, D.M. Pinson, J. Slusser, H.-W. Yeh, and M.J. Parmely. NK cells and gamma interferon coordinate the formation and function of hepatic granulomas in mice infected with Francisella tularensis LVS. Infect. Immun. 76:1379-1389, 2008. (.pdf file)

Hong, K.-J., J.R. Wickstrum, H. Yeh and M.J. Parmely. TLR2 controls the gamma interferon response to Francisella tularensis by mouse liver Lymphocytes. Infect. Immun.75:5338-45, 2007.

Wickstrum, J.R., K.-J. Hong, S. Bokhari, N. Reed, N. McWilliams, R.T. Horvat and M.J. Parmely. Coactivating signals for hepatic lymphocyte gamma interferon responses to Francisella tularensis. Infect. Immun. 75:1335-1342, 2006.

Zhang, G, R.D. Nichols, M. Taniguchi, T. Nakayama and M.J. Parmely. Gamma interferon production by hepatic NKT cells during Escherichia coli infections is resistant to the inhibitory effects of oxidative stress. Infect. Immun. 71:2468-2477, 2003.

Parmely, M.J., F. Wang and D. Wright. Gamma interferon prevents the inhibitory effects of oxidative stress on host responses to Escherichia coli infection. Infect. Immun. 69:2621-29, 2001.