November 2014
Vol. 11 | No. 5

Spotlight
Mark Stenglein Welcome Mark Stenglein

Greetings! I am the newly hired computational biologist in MIP and I would like to share a little bit about myself.
My research interests and expertise blend genomics, computing, and infectious disease. I am particularly interested in discovering new pathogens and in understanding if and how they cause disease. I am really pleased to have found a home in MIP and to be surrounded by people who are similarly passionate about understanding and combating human and animal diseases. I grew up in Saint Paul, MN, but went away to Saint Louis for college, where I studied math and French at Washington University. I then spent 7 years working as a computer programmer for an aerospace engineering company before deciding to move into scientific research. I got my PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Minnesota, where I studied innate antiviral immunity in Reuben Harris’s lab. I then moved to San Francisco, to work with Joe DeRisi and Don Ganem at UCSF, where my research blended emerging and established laboratory techniques. I am looking forward to getting to know all of you better and learning more about your scientific interests. Part of my job here will be to help build the computational and analytic capabilities of the department. I would be happy to meet with you to discuss your analysis-intensive projects and to help how I can. My office and lab are in the RIC building on the Foothills campus. I moved to Fort Collins along with my wife, Medora Huseby, and our two daughters, Dahlia (3 years) and Jeannie (10 months). We are really enjoying ourselves here. The highlights for us so far include the mountains, the relaxed lifestyle, the local beer, and having a nice backyard with trees spaced perfectly for hanging a hammock.


Christie Mayo joins MIP

Dr. Christie Mayo has accepted the Diagnostic Virologist faculty position. Her first day was be November 1, 2014. Christie did her Veterinary residency here at CSU so please welcome her back to the Department!


Merial Graduate Veterinary Scholar Award

New Resident Dan Regan

The 2014 Merial–National Institutes of Health Veterinary Scholars Symposium was held July 31-Aug. 3 at Cornell University. This year’s theme was “One Health,” addressed through the perspective of four plenary sessions: sustainability, genetics, cancer, and infectious disease. Dr. Dan Regan was the recipient of the Merial Graduate Veterinary Scholar Award. He was recognized for his research investigating the role inflammatory monocytes play in the promotion of tumor metastasis as well as the regulation of tumor vaccine immunity. His recognition was highlighted in JAVMA online. Congratulations Dan!


Congratulations Residents

Congratulations to the newly minted diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Pathology.

Matt FeirerMatt Feirer
Clinical Pathology
Kelly SantangeloKelly Santangelo
Clinical Pathology
Seung YooSeung Yoo
Clinical Pathology

Spiral Sky Photograph by Ralph Smith

Another fabulous photo featured in the Coloradoan by Dr. Ralph Smith, MIP Professor Emeritus.


In the News...

Ebola Virus

Dr. Charlie Calisher, MIP Professor Emeritus, was recently interviewed on channel four news about the massive Ebola outbreak. Dr. Calisher worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 27 years and has written a book on the history of viruses. He believes the outbreak could be related to bats. Watch the full interview.


pub highlight

Ball Python Nidovirus: a Candidate Etiologic Agent for Severe Respiratory Disease in Python regius

Mark Stenglein, Elliot Jacobson, James Wellehan, Anne Kincaid, Marcus Gordon, Brian Porter, Wes Baumgartner, Scott Stahl, Karen Kelley, Jonathan Towner and Joseph DeRisi

MBio. 2014 Sep 9;5(5):e01484-14. doi: 10.1128/mBio.01484-14.

As Python et al. would say, and now for something completely different…. In the brief hissssssstory of the MIP Department, this is likely a first. Yes folks, we found a brand new virus. Not only that, but it appears that it may be a major cause for ‘ereptile dysfunction’.

Godawful puns aside, this paper by one of our newest MIP faculty members Mark Stenglein makes clever and careful use of histopathology coupled with next gen sequencing/ bioinformatics analysis to discover a new virus that is associated with a respiratory syndrome that has plagued pet pythons for the last ~20 years. They obtained sets of tissue samples from 9 snakes from five different states and confirmed disease pathology – particularly in the respiratory tract. Electron microscopy identified budding viral particles in many samples. However they struck out using standard RT-PCR molecular diagnostic measures to identify the virus. Undeterred, Mark et al reached for their handy Illumina HiSeq 2500 and used a shotgun sequencing strategy in conjunction with cutting-edge bioinformatics to mine these data. Like a cobra jumping out of a basket, out popped clear evidence for a new virus - a novel member of the Nidovirales order that contains well-known coronaviruses such as the SARS agent. Furthermore, their new virus has an RNA genome of 33,452 nucleotides, making it the longest RNA genome known to date (move over beluga whale coronavirus SW1….). Finally, there was clear nucleic acid evidence for this new nidovirus in all of the other sick snakes that they analyzed. Efforts to grow the virus in tissue culture have not been successful to date, but the group has not given up hope that cells/conditions will to identified to permit virus replication in culture and provide iron clad evidence that their new virus (which they called ‘Barnivirus’ (for BAcilliformReptileNIdo virus) is the direct cause of this common snake respiratory syndrome.

So after slithering through all of the cool publications put out by MIP researchers this month, why did we sink our fangs into this one for our coveted MIPublication of the Month®? Three reasons of course. First, Mark et al described a brand new virus – microbiology can’t get much cooler than that, eh? Second, the paper nicely demonstrates the awesome power of modern sequencing/informatics approaches to make some headway into the remaining mysteries in biology. Finally, what better way to welcome Mark into the MIP family than to highlight some of his beautiful research. Oh yeah – one more reason: having put up with watching hours of Barney the Dinosaur when my kids were little, it was WONDERFUL to see that there is a highly pathogenic ‘Barni-virus’ out there. Now if we can only find a Teletubbivirus and a Pikachuvirus……..


MIP Publications August 2014

Bohn AA, Ferris RA, McCue PM. Comparison of equine endometrial cytology samples collected with uterine swab, uterine brush, and low-volume lavage from healthy mares. Vet Clin Pathol. 2014 Sep 10. doi: 10.1111/vcp.12194.

Kaur D, Angala SK, Wu SW, Khoo KH, Chatterjee D, Brennan PJ, Jackson M, McNeil MR. A Single Arabinan Chain Is Attached to the Phosphatidylinositol Mannosyl Core of the Major Immunomodulatory Mycobacterial Cell Envelope Glycoconjugate, Lipoarabinomannan. J Biol Chem. 2014 Sep 17. pii: jbc.M114.599415. [Epub ahead of print]

Trzil JE, Masseau I, Webb TL, Chang CH, Dodam JR, Cohn LA, Liu H, Quimby JM, Dow SW, Reinero CR. Long term evaluation of mesenchymal stem cell therapy in a feline model of chronic allergic asthma. Clin Exp Allergy. 2014 Sep 14. doi: 10.1111/cea.12411. [Epub ahead of print]

Yoshikawa H, Maranon DG, Battaglia CL, Ehrhart EJ, Charles JB, Bailey SM, LaRue SM. Predicting clinical outcome in feline oral squamous cell carcinoma: tumour initiating cells, telomeres and telomerase. Vet Comp Oncol. 2014 Sep 11. doi: 10.1111/vco.12117. [Epub ahead of print]

Gaur RL, Ren K, Blumenthal A, Bhamidi S, Gibbs S, Jackson M, Zare RN, Ehrt S, Ernst JD, Banaei N. LprG-Mediated Surface Expression of Lipoarabinomannan Is Essential for Virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. PLoS Pathog. 2014 Sep 18;10(9):e1004376. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004376. eCollection 2014 Sep.

Kuzmina TA, Lyons ET, Spraker TR. Anisakids (Nematoda: Anisakidae) from stomachs of northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) on St. Paul Island, Alaska: parasitological and pathological analysis. Parasitol Res. 2014 Sep 14. [Epub ahead of print]

Hagge DA, Scollard DM, Ray NA, Marks VT, Deming AT, Spencer JS, Adams LB. IL-10 and NOS2 Modulate Antigen-Specific Reactivity and Nerve Infiltration by T Cells in Experimental Leprosy. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2014 Sep 11;8(9):e3149. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003149.

Stenglein MD, Jacobson ER, Wozniak EJ, Wellehan JF, Kincaid A, Gordon M, Porter BF, Baumgartner W, Stahl S, Kelley K, Towner JS, DeRisi JL. Ball Python Nidovirus: a Candidate Etiologic Agent for Severe Respiratory Disease in Python regius. MBio. 2014 Sep 9;5(5). pii: e01484-14. doi: 10.1128/mBio.01484-14.

Charley PA, Wilusz J. Sponging of cellular proteins by viral RNAs. Curr Opin Virol. 2014 Sep 15;9C:14-18. doi: 10.1016/j.coviro.2014.09.001. [Epub ahead of print]


Happenings

Legacy of Excellence


Carol Blair

On October 14th members of MIP and CVMBS gathered to celebrate the accomplishments and career of Dr. Carol Blair. Carol's long and prestigious career at CSU began in 1975 when she was one of the first female Assistant Professors hired in the Microbiology Department. Carol went on to serve in several Administrative positions including Assistant Dean for Biomedical Sciences, Microbiology Department Head, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education and Interim MIP Department Head. Carol has also mantained a successful research program at the Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory (AIDL). Carol's contributions to the department and CSU have been enormous! Following in the footsteps of Dr. Barry Beaty and Dr. Patrick Brennan, Carol is entering "partial retirement" and will still be active in the department!

Check out the photo gallery from the reception.


Glenda Taton-Allen Retirement Reception

On the afternoon of Tuesday, September 16 members of the MIP Family gathered in the Pathology Glover Gallery to celebrate and honor Glenda Taton-Allen's 33 plus years of service to CSU. Glenda co-taught Parasitology, first with Dr. John Cheney and then with Dr. Bill Black. Glenda will be remembered for her wonderful laugh and passion for parasites. Check out the photo gallery from the reception.


Hana Van Campen Retires

After 13 years of dedicated service, Dr. Hana Van Campen retired from CSU on September 30th. Hana was responsible for supervising the virology, virology/serology and molecular diagnostic sections of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. She also participated in field investigations of suspected viral diseases and in extension activities. Hana was honored and recognized at the Diagnostic Lab picnic earlier this summer. Enjoy your retirement Hana!


2014 Employee Recognition Event

December 5, 2014
5:00 to 10:00 pm
LSC Ballroom
Be sure to RSVP


Graduate Student Showcase

A one-day conference for ALL CSU Graduate Students to:

  • Present your scholarship or showcase your talents
  • Connect with Faculty and other Graduate Students
  • Gain Conference Experience
  • Win awards and cash prizes

When: Wednesday February 25, 2015

Where: Lory Student Center Ballroom


Thanksgiving Potluck 2014
Welcome to Florida

Schweizer Fellow

On Friday October, 24th members of MIP gathered to celebrate Dr. Herbert Schweizer's career at CSU and to wish him well on his future at the University of Florida. Herbert has been a distinguished member and researcher of MIP for 19 years. At the University of Florida, Herbert will assume the positions of Preeminence Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, College of Medicine, and Director of Emerging Pathogens Institute BSL 3 facilities. Good luck Herbert! We wish you the very best!

Check out the photo gallery from the farewell reception.


NIH Logo
Ty the camel

A recent study by NIAID and Colorado State University scientists suggests dromedary camels are the primary carrier of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Researchers speculate vaccinating camels would prevent the transmisstion of MERS-CoV to humans and other camels. Read more about the study.


Transfort Bus Sign

New Bus Route to VTH & Foothills Campus

CSU and Transfort, the Fort Collins bus service, have expanded routes from main campus to the Foothills campus and the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. CSU employees and students can ride Transfort for free with a RamCard. Please note that employees need a RamCard containing a smart chip to ride Transfort for free. Faculty and staff can stop by the RamCard Office to trade in their current RamCard for a free upgraded chip card. The RamCard Office is located in Room 203 of Morgan Library. Student RamCards are already equipped with the smart chip technology, and do not need to be replaced.


MIP Committee Members

Advisory Committee

John Belisle
Mary Jackson
Herbert Schweizer
Jeff Wilusz
Mark Zabel

Promotion, Tenure and Reappointment Committee

Chair: Jeff Wilusz **

Anne Avery *
Randy Basaraba
Bill Black
Anne Lenaerts
Christine Olver
Erica Suchman *
Glenn Telling *

Graduate Education Committee

Chair: Sandra Quackenbush

Brian Foy
Brian Geiss
Tony Schountz
Carol Wilusz

Undergraduate Education Committee

Chair: Susan Deines

Brad Borlee
Pete Justice
Jenny McLean

** Ending December 15, 2014
* Starting December 15, 2014


CAM the Ram has New Duds

CAM Aggies Jersey

Thanks to MIP Research Coordinator, Jenny Harding, CAM the Ram celebrated CSU AG Day in style! Jenny and her friend Marci Stille have been making CAM jackets for several years. This time they went retro and made CAM an orange Aggies jersey that he wore on October 4th when CSU defeated Tulsa. Check out pictures and CAM's fitting on the K99 website.


For the Elimination of Leprosy

Dr. John Spencer and colleagues Drs. Claudio Salgado and Josafá Barreto published an article in the WHO Goodwill Ambassador's August Newsletter. The article is about the work they are doing to diagnose and prevent Leprosy in the Amazon region of Brazil. Check out the full article.

Drs. Spencer, Salgado and Barreto

Drs. Salgado, Barreto and Spencer. Although it is hard to see, Dr. Barreto is sporting a CSU hat!


USA Citizenship

Carol Wilusz

Dr. Carol Wilusz may still have a British accent and a dry sense of humor but she is no longer a British citizen. Over the summer she became a citizen of the United States! Jolly good work Carol!


Best Wishes!

Pamela Eppler, Administrative Assistant for the Micro facility, has taken a position with the Division of University Advancement. This opportunity allows Pamela to pursue her passion with not-for-profits and aligns with her career goals. Pamela's last day in MIP was October 17, 2014. We will miss you Pamela. Best of luck in your new position!

MIP Bits

Quote of the Month

"When you're at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on"
  ~ Theodore Roosevelt



Cam the Ram with Jim, Dan and Collette

Jim, Dan and Collette pose with a friend at the CSU President's Address on the Oval last month

    Alternative Captions:
  1. Official MIP Mutton Bustin’ Team Photo
  2. Check out sheepish grins.
  3. Clearly their not CAM-era shy
  4. Insert Another Baaaaaaaad Caption Here

MIPuzzle
Questions for MIPuzzle #94
MIPuzzle #94 Answers
MIPuzzle #94


NIH Happenings

  • New Federal Fiscal Year, Same Old Story

    NIH does not yet have an appropriation for FY 2015 and is operating under a continuing resolution through December 11, 2014. Current NIAID paylines are 10th percentile for R01 applications (14th percentile if you are a new investigator)

  • Changes to the way NIH pays out on subcontracts are on the horizon

    NIH is changing the way that it pays out subcontracts to a direct pay-type system rather than the traditional pooled accounts. Therefore all grantees must have their financial systems in order to accept subaccount payments by October 1, 2015 or risk losing access to draw down your award funding. So please check with your accountant and make sure CSU workflow processes are ready before next October. NIH will only use subaccounts to award grant funds for fiscal year 2016 and beyond. – For more info, check out http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-14-103.html


New Grant Awards

bulletMercedes Gonzalez-Juarrero, "Effect of TLR-2 and CD14 Gene Silencing in Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection", Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon

bulletRamesh Akkina, "In Vivo Gene Therapy for HIV using Aptamers that Target Reverse Transcriptase", University of Missouri

bulletTony Schountz, "Deer Mice as Tools for Infectious Disease Research", University of Northern Colorado


Ian Orme at a Genesis Concert

In his [UK] best selling book "Rock stars stole my life" award winning music journalist Mark Ellen describes his attendance at the Genesis outdoor concert in Knebworth in 1976 "with a bunch of my rowdy friends". I wonder who the handsome guy in the middle is?


NOVEMBER 2014
Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri
3
4
Grad Seminar
5
6
7
10 11
Grad Seminar
12 13 14
17
18
Grad Seminar
19
20
21
24
F
B
25
A
R
26
L
E
27
L
A
Thanksgiving
Univ Offices Closed
28

K

Univ Offices Closed
DECEMBER 2014
Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri
1
2
Grad Seminar
3
4
5
8 9
Grad Seminar
10 11 12
15
F
W
16
I
E
17
N
E
18
A
K
19
LS
22
23
24
Univ Offices Closed
25
Univ Offices Closed
Christmas
26
Univ Offices Closed
29
30
31



Don't Forget Employee Recognition Donation

Remember to contribute any loose change to the DMIPWSFERE (Department of Microbiology Immunology and Pathology Winter Strategic Forum and Employee Recognition Event) fund. Collection receptacles can be found in Departmental offices!


Do you have NEWS or PICTURES you would like to share?

Send In your ideas or newsworthy items. Contributions make the Newsletter better!

MIP Newsletter Volume 11, Issue 5, November 2014
MIP HomeCVMBS HomeCSU Home

Email the MIP News