 | Director, Food Research Institute
Professor, Department of Bacteriology, UW-Madison
1550 Linden Drive
(608) 263-6936
3554 Microbial Sciences Building
cwkaspar@wisc.edu |
https://bact.wisc.edu/people_profile.php?t=rf&p=cwkaspar
- 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
E. coli O157:H7; Stress-response systems; Pre-harvest food safety; Molecular and physiological mechanisms of acid toleranceOur 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.
- Charles W Kaspar, Carmen Tartera 2024. 16 Methods for Detecting Microbial Pathogens in Food and Water. Methods in microbiology PMC7148849
- Taylor A Wahlig, Eliot Stanton, Jared J Godfrey, Andrew J Stasic, Amy C L Wong, Charles W Kaspar 2021. A Single Nucleotide Polymorphism in lptG Increases Tolerance to Bile Salts, Acid, and Staining of Calcofluor-Binding Polysaccharides in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium E40. Frontiers in microbiology PMC8208086
- Eliot Stanton, Taylor A Wahlig, Dongjin Park, Charles W Kaspar 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 PMC7430833
- Eliot Stanton, Sara Wagner, Kelsey R Florek, Charles W Kaspar 2020. Genome Sequences of 14 Escherichia coli O157:H7 Strains Isolated before and during the Time Frame of the 2018 Multistate Outbreak Associated with Romaine Lettuce. Microbiology resource announcements PMC7365793
- Jay C Hinkens, Nancy G Faith, Timothy D Lorang, Phillip Bailey, Dennis Buege, Charles W Kaspar, John B Luchansky 2019. Validation of Pepperoni Processes for Control of Escherichia coli O157:H7 ‡. Journal of food protection
- Leslie Garland Miller, Charles W Kaspar 2019. Escherichia coli O157: H7 Acid Tolerance and Survival in Apple Cider. Journal of food protection
- Nese O Ak, Dean O Cliver, Charles W Kaspar 2019. Cutting Boards of Plastic and Wood Contaminated Experimentally with Bacteria. Journal of food protection
- Nese O Ak, Dean O Cliver, Charles W Kaspar 2019. Decontamination of Plastic and Wooden Cutting Boards for Kitchen Use. Journal of food protection
- Taylor A Wahlig, Brianna J Bixler, Oswaldo Valdés-López, Kirankumar S Mysore, Jiangqi Wen, Jean-Michel Ané, Charle W Kaspar 2019. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium ATCC 14028S is tolerant to plant defenses triggered by the flagellin receptor FLS2. FEMS microbiology letters PMC6420342
- Matthew D Rosienski, Mi-Kyung Lee, Jae-Hyuk Yu, Charles W Kaspar, John G Gibbons 2018. Genome Sequence of the Extremely Acidophilic Fungus Acidomyces richmondensis FRIK2901. Microbiology resource announcements PMC6256575
- View all Publications @ PubMed
