Microorganisms of all types as well as viruses prey on plants, animals, humans, and insects, causing serious agricultural losses and human diseases. Many Graduate Group faculty engage in research to understand the basis of microbial disease, studying a wide variety of bacterial and viral pathogens of plants, animals, and insects.
Current investigations include the molecular and cell biology of intracellular bacterial pathogens, the genetics of host resistance in plants, vaccine development, and exploitation of the host cytoskeleton.
Students working in this area may interact in weekly meetings of the Infectious Disease Program to discuss current research, and at an annual meeting that inlcudes faculty and students from other Bay Area universities and biotechnology companies.