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blevin@emory.edu

Emory University
Dept. of Biology
1510 Clifton Road
Atlanta, GA 30322

Office: 404-727-2826
Lab: 404-727-2956
Fax: 404-727-2880

 

EcLF

Bruce

Bruce R. Levin

Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Biology


Some recognized prejudices

'Doing research in population biology without mathematical and/or computer simulation models is like playing tennis without a net or boundary lines'.

'Data may be a crutch for the insecure, but really self-confident scientists subject their hypotheses to tests that can reject them'

'Just because a project may be useful, that doesn't mean its not interesting, high-quality and delicious to work on Science.'

'For us, natural and not-so-natural selection is about dN/dt and not dN/dS.'

Our research includes mathematical and computer simulation modeling and in vitro and laboratory animal experiments on the population and evolutionary biology of bacteria and their viruses and accessory genetic elements. In addition to investigations addressing precious academic ecological and evolutionary questions, our we also do studies applying population dynamic and evolutionary theory and experiments to health-related problems. Among the latter are investigations of the epidemiology of pathogenic bacteria, antimicrobial chemotherapy and the evolution of resistance, the pharmacodynamics and pharamacokinetics of antibiotics and the within-host population and evolutionary dynamics of bacterial infections and their treatment with antibiotics.

The following is a list the projects on which we are currently (February 2009) working and the names of the primary investigator(s) involved in these studies. Unless otherwise noted, BRL’s role in these endeavors is more that of a producer, advisor, prodder, kibitzer, modeler, programmer, occasional, overpaid technician, editor and general busybody rather than a day-to-day collaborator. For more information about these projects, write to the first investigator listed for that project.

Those projects in bold print are at the stage where we are ready to show them off; draft manuscripts describing the results of some or all elements of these projects are available. You are welcome to copies of these manuscripts, just write to us.

  1. Polymorphism in the competence system and the limits to recomsbination in Streptococcus pneumoniae Omar Cornejo (PhD student), Leslie McGee (CDC), Danny Rozen (University of Manchester)

  2. The population and evolutionary dynamics of Vibrio cholerae in experimental communities with bacteriophage, alge and crustecea - Yan Wei (PhD Student)

  3. A theoretical and experimental study of the contributions of density, physiological state, bioflims and other nongrowing states on on the pharmacodynamics of antibiotics and the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus. Klas Udekwu (Postdoc) and Pierre Ankomah (MD/PhD student), Nick Parrish (Emory Undergrad Emeritus, MD/PhD Student, University of Alabama, Birmingham), Fernando Baquero (Ramon Cajal Hospital, Madrid) and Bruce R. Levin..

  4. Persistence, resurrection and the pharmacodynamics of daptomycin treatment of Staphylococcus aureus – Nick Parrish (Emory Undergrad Emeritus, MD/PhD Student, University of Alabama, Birmingham.) and Bruce R. Levin in collaboration with Maria Isabel Morisani and Fernando Baquero (Ramon Cajal Hospital, Madrid).

  5. The population dynamics of nasal colonization of H, influenzae, S. pneumoniae and S. aureus in neonatal rats, the roles of intra- and interspecific competition and host responses. Elisa Margolis (MD/PhD student), Andrew Yates (Postdoc) and Bruce R. Levin.

  6. The population dynamics of Bacillus subtilis and the conditions for the maintenance of competence formation and genetic transformation. Pål Johnsen (Dept of Pharmacy, University of Tromso, Norway David Dubnau (The Public Health Research Institute, New Jersey Medical School) and Bruce R. Levin.

  7. A theoretical study of the epidemiology of community-acquired pneumococcus colonization and infection: antibiotic treatment and antibiotic resistance - Bruce R. Levin in collaboration with Keith Klugman (Emory University School of Public Health).

  8. The population and evolutionary dynamics of recombination in bacterial populations and the evolution of and maitenance of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in Bacteria.. Bruce R. Levin and Omar Cornejo.

  9. The contribution of antibiotic prophylaxis and treatment to the epidemiology and rates of mortality of pandemic influenza, Yu-Wen Chien (PhD Student, Emory Univeristy School of Public Health), Keith Klugman and Bruce R. Levin.

  10. The dynamics of protozoan predation in bacterial populations. Kim Garner (MPH student and Lab Manager/Technician Extraordinare ), John McQuistin (CDC) and Bruce R. Levin.

  11. Epidemiology of hospital-acquired infections. Antibiotic control of antibioitic resistance in hopsitals. Michael Haber (Emory School of Public Health), Piotr Kramarz (WHO), Bruce R. Levin

Some recent publications from our Lab: For an almost complete list of our articles, click on "Publications"

  • Johnsen, P.J, D. Dubnau, and B. R. Levin (2009) Episodic Selection and the Maintenance of Competence and Natural Transformation in Bacillus subtilis  (GENETIC S, In Press) [PDF]

  • Udekwu, K,  N. Parrish, P. Ankomah, , F. Baquero and BR Levin (2009) Functional Relationship Between Cell Density and the Efficacy of Antibiotics (Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, In Press). [PDF]
  • Handel, A, E. Margolis and B.R. Levin (2008) Exploring the role of the immune response in preventing antibiotic resistance(Theoretical Biology 1095-8541 Electronic – E published ahead of print) [PDF]
  • Margolis, E. (2009) Hydrogen peroxide mediated interference competition by Streptococcus pneumoniae has no significant effect on Staphylococcal nasal colonization of neonatal rats J. Bact. 191: 571-575 [PDF]
  • Cornejo, O.E., D. Rozen, R.M. May and B.R. Levin (2008) Oscillations in continuous culture populations of Streptococcus pneumoniae: Population dynamics and the evolution of clonal suicide  (Proceeding Royal Society B, On Line FirstCite (doi:10.1098/rspb.2008.1415)[PDF] [Supplemental On Line Material]
  • Margolis, E. and B. R. Levin (2008) The evolution of bacteria-host interactions: virulence and the immune over-response. IN “ Introduction to the Evolutionary Biology of Bacterial and Fungal Pathogens ” J-A. Gutteriez and F.M. Baquero Editors (ASM Press) - Also to be published in an Institute of Medicine (IOM) workshop report in honor of Joshua Lederberg [PDF]
  • Lemonnier , M, B.R. Levin, T. Romeo, K, Garner, M-R. Baquero, J. Mercante, E. Lemichez, F. Baquero, and J. Blázquez (2008) Evolution of contact-dependent inhibition in non-growing populations of E. coli. Proc. Roy. Society B Proc. Royal Soc. B. 275:3-10[PDF] [Supplemental On Line Material]
  • Margolis, E. and B.R. Levin 2007 Within–Host Evolution for the Invasiveness of Commensal Bacteria: an experimental study of bacteremias resulting from Haemophilus influenzae nasal carriage, Journal of Infectious Disease 175: 1069-1075.[PDF]
  • Rozen, D. E. L.E. McGee, B.R. Levin and K. P. Klugman (2007) .The fitness costs of fluoroquinolone resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 51:412-416.[PDF]
  • Meltz-Steinberg, K. and B.R. Levin (2007) Grazing protozoa and the evolution of the Escherichia coli O157:H7 Shigatoxin-encoding prophage. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B Series (Biology) 274: 1921 - 1929.[PDF]

  • Lipsitch, M., T. Cohen, M. Murray, B.R. Levin (2007) Antiviral resistance and the control of pandemic influenza. PLoS Med 41: e15.[PDF]

Current research support (grants):

  • Population genetics and evolution of antibiotic resistance. National Institutes of Health (RO1 AI4062)
     

Developed by jeff smith
Modified and maintained by Omar Cornejo and Bruce Levin
Last modified 6 February 2009