Charles W. Kaspar

Director, Food Research Institute Professor, Department of Bacteriology, UW-Madison 1550 Linden Drive (608) 263-6936 3554 Microbial Sciences Building cwkaspar@wisc.edu

Department Webpage

https://bact.wisc.edu/people_profile.php?t=rf&p=cwkaspar

Education

• BS 1980, Biology, University of Nebraska–Omaha
• MS 1983, Microbiology, Iowa State University
• PhD 1986, Microbiology, Iowa State University
• Postdoc, 1986–88, University of Maryland

Research Interests

E. coli O157:H7; Stress-response systems; Pre-harvest food safety; Molecular and physiological mechanisms of acid tolerance

Research Focus

Our research is primarily focused on the transmission and evolution of two zoonotic pathogens, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) and Salmonella. These pathogens reside in the intestinal tracts of animal hosts where they encounter diverse microbial communities, fluctuating nutrient levels, and myriad host factors. Transmission between hosts requires these pathogens to survive varied environmental conditions. The general stress protection system (regulated by the alternative sigma factor, σ^s) is known to play a central role in environmental persistence and transmission. Acid and desiccation tolerance are two transmission-associated phenotypes that are dependent upon σ^s–regulated genes. We are also investigating the role of prophage in fitness. EHEC harbor multiple lambda-like prophage and cryptic phage remnants in their genome that facilitate genomic rearrangements, gene duplications, and deletions by homologous recombination. We are investigating how these phage-mediated genomic rearrangements influence the persistence of EHEC in its bovine host and the environment. The goals of our research are to use results from these fundamental studies in the development of strategies to reduce pathogen transmission.

Recent Publications

• Wahlig TA, Stanton E, Godfrey JJ, Stasic AJ, Wong ACL, Kaspar CW 2021. A Single Nucleotide Polymorphism in Increases Tolerance to Bile Salts, Acid, and Staining of Calcofluor-Binding Polysaccharides in Serovar Typhimurium E40. Frontiers in microbiology 12:671453 PMC8208086
• Stanton E, Wahlig TA, Park D, Kaspar CW 2020. Chronological set of E. coli O157:H7 bovine strains establishes a role for repeat sequences and mobile genetic elements in genome diversification. BMC genomics 21((1)):562 PMC7430833
• Wahlig TA, Bixler BJ, Valdés-López O, Mysore KS, Wen J, Ané JM, Kaspar CW 2019. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium ATCC 14028S is tolerant to plant defenses triggered by the flagellin receptor FLS2. FEMS microbiology letters 366((4)): PMC6420342
• Lensmire JM, Pratt ZL, Wong ACL, Kaspar CW 2018. Phosphate and carbohydrate facilitate the formation of filamentous Salmonella enterica during osmotic stress. Microbiology (Reading, Engl.) 164(12):1503-1513
• Kanankege KST, Anklam KS, Fick CM, Kulow MJ, Kaspar CW, Ingham BH, Milkowski A, Döpfer D 2017. Evaluating the efficacy of beef slaughter line interventions by quantifying the six major non-O157 Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli serogroups using real-time multiplex PCR. Food Microbiol. 63:228-238
• Gautam R, Kulow M, Park D, Gonzales TK, Dahm J, Shiroda M, Stasic AJ, Döpfer D, Kaspar CW, Ivanek R 2015. Transmission of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in cattle is influenced by the level of environmental contamination. Epidemiol. Infect. 143(2):274-87 (PMC4301210)
• Gomez SA, Kulow M, Anklam KS, Park D, Kaspar CW, Ivanek R, Döpfer D 2014. Gene markers of generic Escherichia coli associated with colonization and persistence of Escherichia coli O157 in cattle. Prev. Vet. Med. 117(1):140-8
• Shiroda M, Pratt ZL, Döpfer D, Wong AC, Kaspar CW 2014. RpoS impacts the lag phase of Salmonella enterica during osmotic stress. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 357(2):195-200
• Stanton E, Park D, Döpfer D, Ivanek R, Kaspar CW 2014. Phylogenetic characterization of Escherichia coli O157 : H7 based on IS629 distribution and Shiga toxin genotype. Microbiology (Reading, Engl.) 160(Pt 3):502-13
• Jayaraman D, Valdés-López O, Kaspar CW, Ané JM 2014. Response of Medicago truncatula seedlings to colonization by Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli O157:H7. PLoS ONE 9(2):e87970 (PMC3925098)
• View all Publications @ PubMed