Katherine Rhodes
Assistant Professor, BIO5 Institute
Assistant Professor, Immunobiology
Assistant Professor, Immunobiology
Dr. Rhodes received her PhD in microbiology from Colorado State University where she studied the regulation of antimicrobial resistance in Burkholderia pseudomallei under the mentorship of Dr. Herbert Schweizer. For her postdoctoral training, Dr. Rhodes joined the lab of Dr. Maggie So at the University of Arizona, where she studied commensalism in the Neisseria genus. Dr. Rhodes joined the Immunobiology department as an Assistant Professor in 2023.
Research Interests
The overall goal of the lab is to decipher how bacteria in the Neisseria genus adapt to their hosts. Our research uses animal and tissue culture models, microscopy, and biochemical and genetic approaches to investigate the mechanisms driving Neisseria survival in inhospitable host environments. Answering this basic science question may one day lead to new therapeutic measures which reduce the burden of pathogenic Neisseria on human health.
Recent Publications
2024
Rhodes, K. A., M. A. Rendón, M. Cheong Ma, A. Agellon, A. C. E. Johnson, and M. So, "Type IV pilus retraction is required for colonization and persistence in a natural mouse model of infection.", mBio, vol. 15, issue 1, pp. e0279223, 2024 Jan 16.
PMCID: PMC10790696 PMID: 38084997
2022
Rhodes, K. A., M. Cheong Ma, M. A. Rendón, and M. So, "Neisseria genes required for persistence identified via in vivo screening of a transposon mutant library.", PLoS Pathog, vol. 18, issue 5, pp. e1010497, 2022 May.
PMCID: PMC9140248 PMID: 35580146
Ogunbunmi, E. T., S. D. Love, K. A. Rhodes, A. Morales, M. H. Wilch, J. Jonas, and B. A. Fane, "Low-Temperature Adaptation Targets Genome Packing Reactions in an Icosahedral Single-Stranded DNA Virus.", J Virol, vol. 96, issue 7, pp. e0197021, 2022 Apr 13.
PMCID: PMC9006916 PMID: 35285686
2019
Rhodes, K., M. Ma, and M. So, "A Natural Mouse Model for Neisseria Persistent Colonization.", Methods Mol Biol, vol. 1997, pp. 403-412, 2019.
PMID: 31119636
2018
Ma, M., D. A. Powell, N. J. Weyand, K. A. Rhodes, M. A. Rendón, J. A. Frelinger, and M. So, "A Natural Mouse Model for Neisseria Colonization.", Infect Immun, vol. 86, issue 5, 2018 05.
PMCID: PMC5913851 PMID: 29440372
Rhodes, K. A., N. Somprasong, N. L. Podnecky, T. Mima, S. Chirakul, and H. P. Schweizer, "Molecular determinants of Burkholderia pseudomallei BpeEF-OprC efflux pump expression.", Microbiology (Reading), vol. 164, issue 9, pp. 1156-1167, 2018 Sep.
PMCID: PMC6230764 PMID: 30024368
2017
Podnecky, N. L., K. A. Rhodes, T. Mima, H. R. Drew, S. Chirakul, V. Wuthiekanun, J. M. Schupp, D. S. Sarovich, B. J. Currie, P. Keim, et al., "Mechanisms of Resistance to Folate Pathway Inhibitors in : Deviation from the Norm.", mBio, vol. 8, issue 5, 2017 Sep 05.
PMCID: PMC5587915 PMID: 28874476
2016
Rhodes, K. A., and H. P. Schweizer, "Antibiotic resistance in Burkholderia species.", Drug Resist Updat, vol. 28, pp. 82-90, 2016 Sep.
PMCID: PMC5022785 PMID: 27620956
2015
Podnecky, N. L., K. A. Rhodes, and H. P. Schweizer, "Efflux pump-mediated drug resistance in Burkholderia.", Front Microbiol, vol. 6, pp. 305, 2015.
PMCID: PMC4396416 PMID: 25926825