New work from the lab focusing on Streptococcus pneumoniae transcriptional changes that occur in the upper respiratory tract.

bioRxiv Microbiology@biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Influenza A Virus Coinfection Alters Streptococcus pneumoniae Gene Expression during Upper Respiratory Tract Colonization https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.05.19.726214v1

Study from my Lab detailing how Aerobactin-mediated iron acquisition is critical for hypervirulent Klebsiella to disseminate from the gut to cause invasive disease. Tour de Force work led by my wonderful Grad student, Giovanna Hernandez! #PLoSPathogens #Klebsiella journals.plos.org/plospathogen...

Aerobactin is a key driver of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae translocation and virulence

Author summary The emergence of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP) poses a significant public health threat due to its capacity to cause severe, often fatal, systemic infections. Of further co...

journals.plos.org

Don't miss the 4rth and last session of @klebclub.bsky.social focusing on #Klebsiella as part of complex microbial communities ! Our keynote speaker will be Kevin Foster, followed by some #phage talks from Mark Mimee and Sara Forsstrom! #microsky #phagesky Registration is free but necessary!

New preprint from the lab detailing role of stringent stress response regulator DksA in Klebsiella pneumoniae pathogenesis.

bioRxiv Microbiology@biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · 6mo ago

DksA-Dependent Stringent Stress Response Drives Virulence and Gastrointestinal Persistence of Klebsiella pneumoniae https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.03.18.712580v1

Reposting our open #postdoc position with link to the application website . Come join us and learn how encephalitis triggers seizures and how to treat them jobs.apply.vt.edu/jobs/postdoc...

Postdoctoral Associate - Blacksburg, Virginia, United States

Job Description The Blader Laboratory studies how infections in the brain cause neuronal complications such as seizures. We reported that when mice are infected with the protozoan parasite that the ...

jobs.apply.vt.edu

Ira Blader@bladerlab.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Interested in how infections cause seizures? Then, read on! We discovered that Toxoplasma selectively eliminates inhibitory synapses in brain. You will study how these synapses are removed. Please send brief review of research interests and goals, CV, and names of 3 refs to: iblader@vt.edu.

Last week my second PhD student Giovanna defended her thesis. Could not have asked for a better student, who worked completely independently the last one year! Amazing body of work that is soon to be published. Wishing her the best of luck in all her future endeavors.

New paper out from the Zafar/Haas lab detailing how complement system protects against fatal dissemination of Klebsiella pneumoniae from the gut to systemic sites. Work led by the fabulous postdoc Juan Valencia-Bacca @juanvalenciabacca.bsky.social

Juan David Valencia Bacca@juanvalenciabacca.bsky.social · 7mo ago

journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... Proud to see our work published in mBio! We uncover how C3 and C4 provide layered immune protection against Klebsiella pneumoniae. Grateful for my incredible mentors Dr. Ammar Zafar @azmicro.bsky.social, Dr. Karen Haas and supportive colleagues.

✨If you have a story you would like to share with the community, please submit an abstract by Feb 16. ✨

Klebsiella Club@klebclub.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Kind reminder: There is one week left to apply for a talk for the Klebsiella Seminar Series! Send your abstract by February 16th! & Register for free in the link below: forms.gle/LhJu11WQN6Yy... #MicroSky #UTISky #AMRSky #Agenda

We have a protocols paper out led by fantastic post docs Juan Valencia-Bacca and Maidul Islam. More animal tools for the Kleb research community!!

Juan David Valencia Bacca@juanvalenciabacca.bsky.social · last yr.

currentprotocols.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... Our new article in Current Protocols is out: Microbiologists, immunologists, host-pathogen folks: this one’s for you 🧬🦠 #Klebsiella #HostPathogen #Microbiology Huge thanks to my mentor @azmicro.bsky.social for the guidance and support!

Our comprehensive review on bacterial transmission is out today in MMBR @asm.org, which took us ~2 years to put together. Thanks to Kim Walker @drwalkermsbanta.bsky.social and my graduate student, Giovanna Hernandez, for all the hard work they put into this review! journals.asm.org/eprint/JIVRR...

Mechanisms of bacterial host-to-host transmission | Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews

SUMMARYBacterial pathogens must navigate complex host environments to thrive, replicate, and ultimately transmit to new hosts. Effective transmission is critical for pathogen propagation and often requires overcoming host defenses and exploiting ...

journals.asm.org

🚨 Big news! Infection and Immunity is now open access! 🌍🔬 That means wider visibility & impact for your research. Worried about fees? 💸 Check out how IAI stacks up against other journals—you might be surprised. #OpenAccess #SciComm #Microbiology

Klebsiella pneumoniae uses a type VI secretion system to overcome microbiota-mediated colonization resistance @azmicro.bsky.social @emorydeptofmed.bsky.social #microbiome #bacteria #pathogens #microbiology www.nature.com/articles/s41...

After 6 wonderful years at Wake Forest School of Medicine the Zafar lab is now officially open at Emory School of Medicine in the dept. of microbiology and immunology!

Post Doc Juan Valencia-Bacca representing the Zafar/Haas lab at the mid-Atlantic microbial pathogenesis meeting #mampm describing the role of gut complement in controlling K pneumoniae!

First post! Our study in Nature Comms showing the importance of the T6SS of Klebsiella pneumoniae in gut colonization. We combined tn-seq with metagenomics and identified new microbiota targets and T6SS regulators. Major thanks to Kim walker and Virginia Miller www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Klebsiella pneumoniae employs a type VI secretion system to overcome microbiota-mediated colonization resistance - Nature Communications

Through metagenomics, Bray et al. identified Klebsiella pneumoniae interacting microbiota partners in the gut, and a transposon mutagenesis screen revealed a role for its T6SS in gut colonization, wit...

nature.com