Kimberlee A. Musser, Ph.D.

Research Interests

Dr. Musser is the Director of the Bacteriology Laboratory. This laboratory provides diagnostic reference testing for the detection of various pathogenic bacteria in New York State. This testing includes the use of both molecular and classical methods. The molecular diagnostics include rapid real-time PCR assays, Bioplex assays, and pyrosequencing technology. Molecular typing using PFGE and other techniques is also extensively used for assistance in analyzing outbreaks of foodborne, waterborne, and nosocomial illnesses.

Our laboratory is also involved in developing new molecular detection methods and researching sequence-based methods for speciation and typing of bacterial pathogens including the development of databases to enhance the diagnostic and typing processes. We are interested in molecular diagnostic assays that characterize the bacteria of interest to determine if genes that confer pathogenicity or antibiotic resistance are present and whether they are expressed.

Projects in our laboratory include real-time PCR assay development, novel genotyping strategies, DNA sequencing of bacteria using broad-range targets, DNA sequence database development, antibiotic resistance and virulence assay development as well as applied research investigating mechanisms of antibiotic resistance.