Shauna Reckseidler-Zenteno, Athabasca University
Associate Professor
Athabasca, Alberta
shaunaz@athabascau.ca
Office:
(186) 689-4151 ext. 9
(403) 239-4934
Bio/Research
In the past my research was focused on understanding how the bacterial pathogen, Burkholderia pseudomallei, causes disease. B. pseudomallei is a bacteria that lives in the soil and water in tropical regions of the world. It is the causative agent of the disease melioidosis, which affects both hum...
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Bio/Research
In the past my research was focused on understanding how the bacterial pathogen, Burkholderia pseudomallei, causes disease. B. pseudomallei is a bacteria that lives in the soil and water in tropical regions of the world. It is the causative agent of the disease melioidosis, which affects both humans and animals primarily in Southeast Asia and northern Australia.
My current research is focused on a related bacterial pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. P. aeruginosa is a gram-negative bacterium that is ubiquitous in the environment and able to cause disease in plants, animals, and humans. This diverse organism is a common cause of nosocomial or hospital-acquired infections, most notably causing skin infections in burn patients, infections of indwelling devices such as catheters, and fatal lung infections in patients with cystic fibrosis. Studies have shown that P. aeruginosa may survive for months on hospital surfaces and can be isolated from the water in intensive care units. We are interested in understanding how P. aeruginosa is able to survive in the environment, particularly in water. The ability of the organism to persist at length in water make it a resevoir for infectious disease.
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My current research is focused on a related bacterial pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. P. aeruginosa is a gram-negative bacterium that is ubiquitous in the environment and able to cause disease in plants, animals, and humans. This diverse organism is a common cause of nosocomial or hospital-acquired infections, most notably causing skin infections in burn patients, infections of indwelling devices such as catheters, and fatal lung infections in patients with cystic fibrosis. Studies have shown that P. aeruginosa may survive for months on hospital surfaces and can be isolated from the water in intensive care units. We are interested in understanding how P. aeruginosa is able to survive in the environment, particularly in water. The ability of the organism to persist at length in water make it a resevoir for infectious disease.
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