Education
PhD in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology/Basic and Biomedical Sciences, UMass Chan Medical School
BA in Biology, Clark University
Courses Taught
(TBD)
Research Interests
The CDC estimates the Gram-negative pathogen Salmonella enterica causes over a million gastrointestinal infections in the United States per year. While most people who become ill recover from their symptoms, including diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps, within a few days, others may experience complications. To cause illness, Salmonella rely extensively on type-three secretion systems (T3SS) to release effector proteins that facilitate the entry, survival, and replication of the bacteria within the host environment. Also critical to Salmonella pathogenesis are a multitude of Salmonella pathogenicity islands (SPIs), which contain genes that further promote bacterial invasion and survival in the human host.
Salmonella outbreaks are quite common and are often associated with contamination along food supply chains. One contributing factor to these outbreaks is the ability of the bacteria to form layers of growth, called biofilms, on surfaces including food manufacturing equipment and food items themselves. A trait common to many bacteria and other microbes, biofilms are difficult to remove once they form, and contribute to microbial persistence. Numerous environmental and nutritional factors have been shown to contribute to the ability of Salmonella to form biofilms. However, our full understanding of biofilm formation by these bacteria remains incomplete. My research goals are to 1) better characterize the factors required for biofilm formation by different Salmonella enterica serotypes, and 2) determine the roles of SPI-encoded genes on biofilm formation.
Selected Publications
- Hallstrom, K, and Knapp, G.S. (2022). A Hands-on Activity for V(D)J Recombination in an Undergraduate Immunology Class. Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, 24(1), e00145-22. https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00145-22
- Hallstrom, K., and McCormick, B.A. (2016). The Type Three Secreted Effector SipC Regulates the Trafficking of PERP During Salmonella Infection. Gut Microbes, 7(2), 136-145. https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2015.1128626
- Hallstrom, K., Srikanth, C.V., Agbor, T.A., Dumont, C.M., Peters, K.N., Paraoan, L., Casanova, J.E., Boll, E.J., and McCormick, B.A. (2015). PERP, a host tetraspanning membrane protein, is required for Salmonella-induced inflammation. Journal of Cellular Microbiology, 17(6), 843-859. https://doi.org/10.1111/cmi.12406
- Hallstrom, K., and McCormick, B.A. (2014). Pathogenicity Islands: Origin, Structure, and Function. Textbook chapter 16 in: Tang, Yi-Wei, Sussman, Max., Liu, Dongyou, Poxton, Ian, and Joseph Schwartzman, eds. Molecular Medical Microbiology, 2nd Edition. Academic Press, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-397169-2.00016-0
- Hallstrom, K., and McCormick, B.A. (2011). Salmonella interaction with and passage through the intestinal mucosa: through the lens of the organism. Frontiers in Microbiology: Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 2(88), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2011.00088