Charles H. Calisher
Professor

Phone: 491-2987
Fax: 491-8707
Email: calisher@cybersafe.net
Office: Infectious Disease Annex, Foothills Campus
Lab: Infectious Disease Annex, Foothills Campus

 

Degrees

• B.S. (Bacteriology), Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, Philadelphia, PA
• M.S. (Biology; Gnotobiotics), University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
• Ph.D. Microbiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC

Research Interests

Ecology and epidemiology of rodent-borne viruses, arbovirus ecology and epidemiology, viral diagnosis, viral taxonomy, viral evolution

• Recent major research emphasis is on the ecology of hantaviruses. Long-term field studies of these viruses in their natural rodent hosts are expected to provide information leading to prevention and control of these human pathogens. Coincident and ancillary studies provide knowledge about the mammalian hosts of these viruses as well as providing information about other rodent-borne viruses and about the mammals themselves.

Selected Publications

Pub Med for Calisher CH.

• Van Regenmortel, M.H., J. Maniloff, and C.H. Calisher. The concept of virus species. Arch. Virol. 120:313-314, 1991.
• Gibbs, A.J., C.H. Calisher, and F. Garcia-Arenal (eds.). Virus Evolution. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England; 1995.
• P.S. Mellor, M. Baylis, C. Hamblin, C.H. Calisher, and P.P.C. Mertens (eds.) African horse sickness. Arch. Virol. (Suppl. 14), Springer-Verlag, Vienna, Austria, 1998.
• Root, J.J., C.H. Calisher, and B.J. Beaty. Relationships of deer mouse movement, vegetative structure, and prevalence of infection with Sin Nombre virus. J. Wildl. Dis., 35: 311-318, 1999.
• H.W. Lee, C. Calisher, and C. Schmaljohn (eds) Manual of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, Asan Institute for Life Sciences, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 250 pages, 1999.
• Calisher, C.H. and Horzinek, M.H. (eds.) Virology: The first 100 years. Arch. Virol., Springer-Verlag, Vienna, Austria, 1999.
• Calisher, C.H., W.P. Sweeney, J.J. Root, and B.J. Beaty. Navigational instinct: A reason not to live-trap deer mice in residences. Emerg. Inf. Dis., 5:175-176, 1999.
• Calisher, C.H., W. Sweeney, J.N. Mills, and B.J. Beaty. Natural history of hantaviruses in western Colorado, 1994-97. Emerg. Inf. Dis., 5:126-134, 1999.
• Calisher, C.H., Childs, J.E., Sweeney, W.P., Canestorp, K.M., and Beaty, B.J., Dual captures of Colorado rodents: implications for transmission of hantaviruses. Emerg. Infect. Dis., 6:363-369, 2000.
• Calisher, C.H. West Nile virus in the New World: appearance, persistence, adaptation to a new econiche -- an opportunity taken. Viral Immunol. 13:411-415, 2000.
• Hoff, B., Smith, C., and Calisher, C.H. Mapping epidemics: a historical atlas of disease. Watts, New York, 112 pages, 2000.
• Calisher, C.H. and Fenner, F.J. Macroecology and microecology of viruses of terrestrial mammals. in C.J. Hurst (ed.) Viral Ecology. John Wiley, NY, NY, pp: 493-517, 2000.
• Calisher, C.H., Mills, J.N., Sweeney, W., Choate, J.R., Sharp, D.E., Canestorp, K.M., and Beaty, B.J. Do unusual site-specific population dynamics of rodent reservoirs provide clues to the natural history of hantaviruses? J. Wildl. Dis. 37:280-288, 2001.
• Root, J.J., Calisher, C.H., and Beaty, B.J. Microhabitat partitioning by two chipmunk species (Tamias) in western Colorado. Western North American Naturalist 61:114-118, 2001.
• Calisher, C.H., Nabity, S., Root, J.J., Fulhorst, C., and Beaty, B.J. Transmission of an arenavirus in white-throated woodrats (Neotoma albigula) in southeastern Colorado. Emerg. Inf. Dis. 7:397-402, 2001.
• Calisher, C.H., Root, J.J., Mills, J.N., and Beaty, B.J. Assessment of ecologic and biologic factors leading to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, Colorado, U.S.A., Croatian Med. J.43:330-337, 2002. http://www.cmj.hr/2002/4303/cmj43(3)13.pdf
• Yates, T.L., Mills, J.N., Parmenter, C.A., Ksiazek, T.G., Parmenter, R.R., Vande Castle J.R., Calisher, C.H., Nichol, S.T., Abbott, K.D., Young, J.C., Morrison, M.L., Beaty, B.J., Dunnum, J.L., Baker, R.J., Salazar-Bravo, J., and Peters, C.J. The ecology and evolutionary history of an emergent disease: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. BioScience, 52:989-998, 2002.
• Drebot, M.A., Henchal E., Hjelle, B., LeDuc J.W., Repik, J. T. Roehrig, P.M., Schmaljohn, C.S., Shope, R.E., Tesh, R.B., Weaver, S.C., Calisher, C.H. Improved clarity of meaning from the use of both formal species names and common (vernacular) virus names in virological literature. Arch. Virol. 147:2465-2472, 2002.
• Calisher, C.H., Mills, J.N., Root, J.J., and Beaty, B.J. Hantaviruses: etiologic agents of rare, but potentially life-threatening, zoonotic diseases. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc 222:163-166, 2003.
• Blitvich, B.J., Marlenee, N.L. Hall, R.A., Calisher, C.H., Bowen, R.A., Roehrig, J.T., Komar, N., Langevin, S.A., and Beaty, B.J. Epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for the detection of serum antibodies to West Nile virus in multiple avian species. J. Clin. Microbiol. 41:1041-1047, 2003.
• Root, J.J., Black, W.C., Calisher, C.H., Wilson, K.R., Mackie, R.S., Schountz, T., Mills, J.N., and Beaty, B.J. Analyses of gene flow among populations of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) at sites near hantavirus pulmonary syndrome case-patient residences. J. Wildl. Dis. 39:287-298, 2003.
• Blitvich, B.J. Fernandez-Salas, I. Contreras-Cordero, J.F., Marlenee, N.L., Gonzalez-Rojas, J.I. Komar, N. Gubler, D.J. Calisher, C.H., and Beaty, B.J. Serologic evidence for West Nile virus infection in horses, Coahuila State, Mexico. Emerg. Infect. Dis. 9:853-856, 2003.
• Loroño-Pino, M.A., Blitvich, B.J., Farfán-Ale, J.A., Puerto, F.I., Blanco, J.M., Marlenee, N.L., Rosado-Paredes, E.P., García-Rejón, J.E., Gubler, D.J., Calisher, C.H., and Beaty, B.J. Serologic evidence of West Nile virus infection in horses, Yucatan State, Mexico. Emerg. Inf. Dis. 9:857-859, 2003.
• Marr, J.S. and Calisher C.H. Alexander the Great and West Nile virus encephalitis. Emerging. Infect. Dis. [serial online], 2003.http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EIDvol9no12/03-0288.htm
• Calisher, C.H. and Gould, E.A. Taxonomy of the virus family Flaviviridae. In T.P. Monath and T. Chambers (eds.) The Flaviviruses. Academic Press, 2003, pp. 1-19.
• Derraik, J. and C.H. Calisher. Is New Zealand prepared to deal with arboviral diseases? Austral. New Zealand J. Publ. Hlth. 28:27-31, 2004.
• Schountz, T., Green, R., Davenport, B., Buniger, A., Richens, T., Root, J.J., Davidson, F., Calisher, C.H., and Beaty, B.J. Cloning of multiple deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) cytokine and chemokine cDNAs. BMC Immunology 5:1, 2004. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2172/5/1
• Fernandez-Salas I., Contreras-Cordero J.F., Blitvich B.J., González-Rojas, J.I., Cavazos-Alvarez, A., Marlenee, N.L., Elizondo-Quiroga, A., Loroño-Pino, M.A., Gubler D.J., Cropp, B.C., Calisher C.H., and Beaty B.J. Serologic evidence of West Nile virus infection in birds, Tamaulipas State, México. Vector-borne Zoon. Dis. 3:209-213, 2004.
• Farfán-Ale, J.A., Blitvich, B.J., Loroño-Pino, M.A., Marlenee, N.L., Rosado-Paredes, E.P., García-Rejón, J.E. , Flores-Flores, L.F., Chulim-Perera, L., López-Uribe, M., Pérez-Mendoza, G., Sánchez-Herrera, I., Santamaría, W., Moo-Huchim, J., Gubler, D.J., Cropp, B.C., Calisher, C.H., Beaty, B.J. Longitudinal studies of West Nile virus infection in avians, Yucatán State, México. Vector-borne Zoon. Dis. 4:3-14, 2004.
• Saleh, S.M., M. Poidinger, J.S. Mackenzie, A.K. Broom, M.D.A. Lindsay, R.C. Russell, M.J. Cloonan, C.H. Calisher, G.W. Burgess, and R.A. Hall. Antigenic and genetic typing of Whataroa viruses in Australia. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 71:262-267, 2004.
• Root, J. J., W.C. Black IV, C. H. Calisher, K. R. Wilson, and B. J. Beaty. Genetic relatedness of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) infected with Sin Nombre virus. Vector-Borne and Zoon. Dis. 4:149-157, 2004.
• Root, J.J., K. R. Wilson, C.H. Calisher, K.D. Wagoner, K. D. Abbott, T. L. Yates, A. J. Kuenzi, M.L. Morrison, J. N. Mills, B. J. Beaty. Spatial clustering of murid rodents infected with hantaviruses: implications from meta-analyses. Ecological Applications 15:565-574, 2005.
• Calisher, C.H., Mills, J.N., Sweeney, W., Root, J.J., Reeder, S.A., Jentes, E.S., and Beaty, B.J. Population dynamics of a diverse rodent assemblage in mixed grass-shrub habitat, southeastern Colorado, 1995-2000. J. Wildl. Dis. 41:12-28, 2005.
• Calisher, C.H., Root, J.J., Mills, J.N., Rowe, J.E., Reeder, S.A., Jentes, E.S., Wagoner, K. and Beaty, B.J. Epizootiology of Sin Nombre and El Moro Canyon hantaviruses, southeastern Colorado, 1995-2000. J. Wildl. Dis. 41:1-11, 2005.
• Kuenzi, A. J., R. J. Douglass, C. W. Bond, C. H. Calisher, and J. N. Mills. Long-term dynamics of Sin Nombre viral RNA and antibody in deer mice in Montana. J. Wildl. Dis. 41:473-481, 2005.
• Douglass, R.J., C.H. Calisher, and K.C. Bradley. State-by-state incidences of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the United States, 1993-2004. Vector-Borne Zoon. Dis., 5:189-192, 2005.
• Calisher, C.H. A very brief history of arbovirology, focusing on contributions by workers of the Rockefeller Foundation. Vector-Borne Zoon. Dis., 5:202-211, 2005.
• Calisher, C.H., Childs, J.E., Field, H.E., Holmes, K.V., Schountz, T. Bats: important reservoir hosts of emerging viruses. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 19:531-545, 2006.
• Doty, J.B., Calisher, C.H., Root, J.J., and Beaty, B.J. Microhabitat use by deer mice in response to fluctuations in pinyon mouse abundance. Intermountain J. Sci. 12:54-60, 2007.
• Douglass, R.J., Calisher, C.H., Wagoner, K., and Mills, J.N. Sin Nombre virus infection of deer mice in Montana: characteristics of newly infected mice, incidence, and temporal pattern of infection. J. Wildl. Dis.43:12-22, 2007.
• Calisher, C.H., Wagoner, K.D., Amman, B.R., Root, J., Douglass, R.J. Kuenzi, A.J., Abbott, K.D., Parmenter, C., Yates, T.L., Ksiazek T.G., Beaty, B.J., and Mills, J.N. Demographic factors associated with prevalence of antibody to Sin Nombre virus in deer mice in the western United States. J. Wildl. Dis. 43:1-11, 2007.
• Calisher, C.H. Recognition of bats as reservoir hosts of emerging viruses. Croatian J. Infect. Dis. 26:149-155, 2007.
• Schountz, T., Calisher, C.H., Richens, T.R., Rich, A.A., Doty, J.B., and Beaty, B.J. A rapid field immunoassay for identifying Sin Nombre hantavirus-infected deer mice. Emerg. Inf. Dis. 13:1604-1607, 2007.
• Klein, S.L. and Calisher, C.H. Emergence and persistence of hantaviruses. in Wildlife and Emerging Zoonotic Diseases, eds. J. Childs and J. Mackenzie. Current Topics in Microbiology & Immunology, 315:217-252, 2007.
• Calisher, C.H. Doing well or doing good? Croat. Med. J. 47:228-232, 2006. http://www.cmj.hr/2006/47/2/16625686.htm
• Calisher, C.H. Sequences vs. viruses: producer vs. product, cause and effect. Croatian Med. J. 48:103-106, 2007. http://www.cmj.hr/2007/48/1/4801.htm
• Calisher, C.H. Taxonomy: What’s in a name? Doesn’t a rose by any other name smell as sweet? Croatian Med. J. 48: 268-270, 2007. http://www.cmj.hr/2007/48/2/17436393.htm
• Calisher, C.H. Unreliable tests, unreliable laboratories: Who needs them? Croatian Med. J. 48:405-408, 2007. http://www.cmj.hr/2007/48/3/17589987.htm
• Calisher, C.H. Bioterrorism or natural disasters: what shall we worry about next? Croatian Med. J. 48:574-578, 2007. http://www.cmj.hr/2007/48/4/17696315.pdf