Erol Fikrig, M.D.

Chief, Infectious Diseases
Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Medicine, Microbial Pathogenesis, Epidemiology and Public Health
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Research Interests

My laboratory investigates vector-borne diseases. Studies are directed toward understanding Lyme disease, Human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, and West Nile virus. Efforts on Lyme disease include exploring immunity to Borrelia burgdorferi, selective B. burgdorferi gene expression in vivo, and the immunobiology of Lyme arthritis. Human granulocytic ehrlichiosis is caused by a newly described pathogen, transmitted by Ixodes scapularis ticks, that persists within neutrophils. We are investigating the molecular strategies that this pathogen uses to survive in polymorphonuclear leukocytes. West Nile virus can cause fatal encephalitis, and we seek to understand the pathogenesis of this emerging disease. Finally, we are also developing molecular approaches to prevent ticks from feeding on a mammalian host, thereby interfering with pathogen transmission.

Education

M.D., Cornell University Medical College
B.A., Cornell University

Recent Publications

• Pal U, Li X, Wang T, Montgomery RR, Ramamoorthi N, deSilva AM, Bao F, Pypaert M, Pradham D, Kantor FS, Telford S, Anderson JF, Fikrig E. TROSPA, an Ixodes scapularis receptor for Borrelia burgdorferi OspA Cell 119:457-68, 2004
• Ramamoorthi N, Narasimhan S, Pal P, Bao F, Yang XF, Anguita J, Norgard MV, Kantor FS, Anderson JF, Koski RA, Fikrig E. The Lyme disease agent exploits a tick protein to infect the mammalian host Nature 436:573-8, 2005
• Sukumaran B, Narasimhan S, Anderson JF, DePonte K, Marcantonio N, Fish D, Telford S, Kantor FS, Fikrig E. Anaplasma phagocytophilum requires a tick protein, Salp16, for salivary gland colonization J Exp Med 6:1507-17, 2006
• Narasimhan S, Sukumaran B, Bozdogan U, Thomas V, Liang X, DePonte K, Marcantonio N, Koski R, Anderson JF, Kantor F, Fikrig E. Salp25D, a tick peroxiredoxin, facilitates Borrelia burgdorferi acquisition from mice by Ixodes scapularis. Cell Host & Microbe 12:7-18 2007
• Pal U, Wang P, Bao F, Yang X, Samanta S, Schoen R, Wormser GP, Schwartz I, Fikrig E. Borrelia burgdorferi basic membrane proteins A and B participate in the genesis of Lyme arthritis. J Exp Med 205:133-41 2008.
• Krishnan M, Ng A, Sukumaran B, Gilfoy F, Uchil P, Sultana H, Brass A, Adametz R, Tsui M, Qian F, Montgomery RR, Lev S, Mason P, Koski R, Elledge S, Xavier R, Agaisse H, Fikrig E. RNA interference screen for human genes associated with West Nile virus infection. Nature 455, 425-5, 2008
• Town T, Bai F, Wang T, Kaplan AT, Qian F, Montgomery RR, Anderson JF, Flavell RA, Fikrig E. Tlr7 mitigates lethal West Nile encephalitis by affecting interleukin 23-dependent immune cell infiltration and homing. Immunity 30:1-12, 2009

Contact

Campus Address
The Anlyan Center
S-525A

E-mail
erol.fikrig@yale.edu

Office Phone
(203) 785-4140

Fax
(203) 785-3864

Fikrig Lab