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Carol A. Gilchrist

Carol A. Gilchrist

Associate Professor, Medicine- Infectious Diseases and International Health

Primary Location
PO Box 801340
MR-6, Room 1707A
Charlottesville, VA 22908
Primary Phone Number
Fax Number
434.924.0075

Bio & Overview

Identification of Parasite Virulence Factors: My primary research interest is to identify the causal mutations associated with increased pathogen virulence, whether they are genetic changes that cause a gain/loss of function or identifying genes that are the targets of diversifying selection due to either immune evasion or drug selection. My approach is to combine whole genome sequence analysis of Cryptosporidium with the clinical information captured during the field studies in order to identify drugable pathways that can be exploited in the design of new therapeutics. Identification of Pathogen Reservoirs: During Cryptosporidium field studies we noticed that a high risk of urban cryptosporidiosis seemed to occur during the monsoon flooding whereas at rural sites exposure to poultry infected with C. meleagridis appeared be linked to cryptosporidiosis. I am using genetic data to identify pathogen reservoirs that increase the risk of a diarrheal disease in children. Environmental and Host Factors that Impact Symptomatic Disease: My work with the E. histolytica parasite has shown that additional environmental factors such as the microbiota or host immune status can play a significant role in the development of symptomatic disease upon pathogen infection.

Academic Information

Department
Medicine- Infectious Diseases and International Health
Academic Title
Assistant Professor

Primary Education

  • PhD, University of Western Ontario, 1988

Research Interests

Identification of Parasite Virulence Factors

Selected Publications

2024

Ramakrishnan, G., Young, M. K., Nayak, U., Rigo, I., Marrs, A. S., Gilchrist, C. A., . . . Petri, W. A. (2024). Systemic neutrophil degranulation and emergency granulopoiesis in patients with Clostridioides difficile infection. ANAEROBE, 87. doi:10.1016/j.anaerobe.2024.102840

2023

Carey, M., Arju, T., Cotton, J. A., Alam, M., Kabir, M., Faruque, A. S. G., . . . Gilchrist, C. A. (2023). Genomic Heterogeneity of Cryptosporidium parvum Isolates From Children in Bangladesh: Implications for Parasite Biology and Human Infection. JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, 228(9), 1292-1298. doi:10.1093/infdis/jiad257

Hendrick, J., Ma, J., Haughey, H., Coleman, R., Nayak, U., Kadl, A., . . . Petri, W. (2023). Pulmonary function and survival one year after dupilumab treatment of acute moderate to severe COVID-19: A follow up study from a Phase IIa trial. doi:10.1101/2023.09.01.23293947

Petri, W. A. O., Hossain, B., Kabir, M., So, H. H., Moreau, G. B., Nayak, U., . . . Gilchrist, C. A. (2023). Children develop Immunity to cryptosporidiosis in a high transmission intensity area.. medRxiv. doi:10.1101/2023.06.28.23292000

Gilchrist, C. A., Campo, J. J., Pablo, J. V., Ma, J. Z., Teng, A., Oberai, A., . . . Petri Jr, W. A. (2023). Specific Cryptosporidium antigens associate with reinfection immunity and protection from cryptosporidiosis. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, 133(16). doi:10.1172/JCI166814

2022

Carpenter, R. M., Young, M. K., Petri, W. A. O., Lyons, G. R., Gilchrist, C., Carey, R. M., & Petri, W. A. J. (2022). Repressed Ang 1-7 in COVID-19 Is Inversely Associated with Inflammation and Coagulation. MSPHERE, 7(4). doi:10.1128/msphere.00220-22

Ngobeni, R., Gilchrist, C., & Samie, A. (2022). Prevalence and Distribution of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia lamblia in Rural and Urban Communities of South Africa. Turkiye parazitolojii dergisi, 46(1), 14-19. doi:10.4274/tpd.galenos.2021.37039

Saito-Nakano, Y., Makiuchi, T., Tochikura, M., Gilchrist, C. A., Petri, W. A. J., & Nozaki, T. (2022). ArfX2 GTPase Regulates Trafficking From the Trans-Golgi to Lysosomes and Is Necessary for Liver Abscess Formation in the Protozoan Parasite Entamoeba histolytica (vol 11, 794152, 2021). FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY, 12. doi:10.3389/fcimb.2022.856477

2021

Kabir, M., Alam, M., Nayak, U., Arju, T., Hossain, B., Tarannum, R., . . . Gilchrist, C. A. (2021). Nonsterile immunity to cryptosporidiosis in infants is associated with mucosal IgA against the sporozoite and protection from malnutrition. PLOS PATHOGENS, 17(6). doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1009445

Carey, M. A., Medlock, G. L., Alam, M., Kabir, M., Uddin, M. J., Nayak, U., . . . Gilchrist, C. A. (2021). Megasphaera in the Stool Microbiota Is Negatively Associated With Diarrheal Cryptosporidiosis. CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES, 73(6), E1242-E1251. doi:10.1093/cid/ciab207

Saito-Nakano, Y., Makiuchi, T., Tochikura, M., Gilchrist, C. A., Petri, W. A. J., & Nozaki, T. (2021). ArfX2 GTPase Regulates Trafficking From the Trans-Golgi to Lysosomes and Is Necessary for Liver Abscess Formation in the Protozoan Parasite Entamoeba histolytica. FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY, 11. doi:10.3389/fcimb.2021.794152

Messa, A. J., Koster, P. C., Garrine, M., Gilchrist, C., Bartelt, L. A., Nhampossa, T., . . . Mandomando, I. (2021). Molecular diversity of Giardia duodenalis in children under 5 years from the Manhica district, Southern Mozambique enrolled in a matched case-control study on the aetiology of diarrhoea. PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES, 15(1). doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0008987

Steiner, K. L., Kabir, M., Hossain, B., Gilchrist, C. A., Ma, J. Z., Ahmed, T., . . . Petri, W. A. J. (2021). Delayed Time to Cryptosporidiosis in Bangladeshi Children is Associated with Greater Fecal IgA against Two Sporozoite-Expressed Antigens. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE, 104(1), 229-232. doi:10.4269/ajtmh.20-0657

2020

Deichsel, E. L., Hillesland, H. K., Gilchrist, C. A., Naulikha, J. M., McGrath, C. J., Van Voorhis, W. C., . . . Pavlinac, P. B. (2020). Prevalence and Correlates of Cryptosporidium Infections in Kenyan Children With Diarrhea and Their Primary Caregivers. OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES, 7(12). doi:10.1093/ofid/ofaa533

Burgess, S. L., Leslie, J. L., Uddin, J., Oakland, D. N., Gilchrist, C., Moreau, G. B., . . . Petri, W. A. J. (2020). Gut microbiome communication with bone marrow regulates susceptibility to amebiasis. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, 130(8), 4019-4024. doi:10.1172/JCI133605

2019

Donowitz, J. R., Parikh, H. I., Taniuchi, M., Gilchrist, C. A., Haque, R., Kirkpatrick, B. D., . . . Petri, W. A. J. (2019). Increased Fecal Lactobacillus Is Associated With a Positive Glucose Hydrogen Breath Test in Bangladeshi Children. OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES, 6(7). doi:10.1093/ofid/ofz266

Steiner, K. L., Kabir, M., Priest, J. W., Hossain, B., Gilchrist, C. A., Cook, H., . . . Petri, W. A. J. (2020). Fecal Immunoglobulin A Against a Sporozoite Antigen at 12 Months Is Associated With Delayed Time to Subsequent Cryptosporidiosis in Urban Bangladesh: A Prospective Cohort Study. CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES, 70(2), 323-326. doi:10.1093/cid/ciz430

Gazi, M. A., Das, S., Mahfuz, M., Hasan, M. M., Hossain, M. S., Fahim, S. M., . . . Ahmed, T. (2019). Screening for coeliac disease in children and adults living in a slum of Dhaka, Bangladesh. BMJ OPEN GASTROENTEROLOGY, 6(1). doi:10.1136/bmjgast-2019-000294

2018

Korpe, P. S., Gilchrist, C., Burkey, C., Taniuchi, M., Ahmed, E., Madan, V., . . . Duggal, P. (2019). Case-Control Study of Cryptosporidium Transmission in Bangladeshi Households. CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES, 68(7), 1073-1079. doi:10.1093/cid/ciy593

Kabir, M., Ahmed, E., Hossain, B., Alam, M., Ahmed, S., Taniuchi, M., . . . Haque, R. (2018). Giardia/Cryptosporidium QUIK CHEK Assay Is More Specific Than Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction for Rapid Point-of-care Diagnosis of Cryptosporidiosis in Infants in Bangladesh. CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES, 67(12), 1897-1903. doi:10.1093/cid/ciy372

Steiner, K. L., Ahmed, S., Gilchrist, C. A., Burkey, C., Cook, H., Ma, J. Z., . . . Faruque, A. S. G. (2018). Species of Cryptosporidia Causing Subclinical Infection Associated With Growth Faltering in Rural and Urban Bangladesh: A Birth Cohort Study. CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES, 67(9), 1347-1355. doi:10.1093/cid/ciy310

Gilchrist, C. A., Cotton, J. A., Burkey, C., Arju, T., Gilmartin, A., Lin, Y., . . . Petri, W. A. (2018). Genetic Diversity of Cryptosporidium hominis in a Bangladeshi Community as Revealed by Whole-Genome Sequencing. JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, 218(2), 259-264. doi:10.1093/infdis/jiy121

2017

Ngobeni, R., Samie, A., Moonah, S., Watanabe, K., Petri, W. A. J., & Gilchrist, C. (2017). Entamoeba Species in South Africa: Correlations With the Host Microbiome, Parasite Burdens, and First Description of Entamoeba bangladeshi Outside of Asia. JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, 216(12), 1592-1600. doi:10.1093/infdis/jix535

Watanabe, K., Gilchrist, C. A., Uddin, M. J., Burgess, S. L., Abhyankar, M. M., Moonah, S. N., . . . Petri, W. A. J. (2017). Microbiome-mediated neutrophil recruitment via CXCR2 and protection from amebic colitis. PLOS PATHOGENS, 13(8). doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1006513

Burgess, S. L., Gilchrist, C. A., Lynn, T. C., & Petri, W. A. J. (2017). Parasitic Protozoa and Interactions with the Host Intestinal Microbiota. INFECTION AND IMMUNITY, 85(8). doi:10.1128/IAI.00101-17

2016

Ramakrishnan, G., Wright, M., Alam, M., Naylor, C., Kabir, M., Zerin, A., . . . Gilchrist, C. A. (2017). Rapid assessment of tetanus vaccine-induced immunity in Bangladesh and the Gambia. DIAGNOSTIC MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE, 87(3), 272-274. doi:10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2016.11.011

Gilchrist, C. A. (2016). The E. histolytica Genome Structure and Virulence.. Current tropical medicine reports, 3(4), 158-163. doi:10.1007/s40475-016-0088-9

Korpe, P. S., Haque, R., Gilchrist, C., Valencia, C., Niu, F., Lu, M., . . . Petri, W. A. J. (2016). Natural History of Cryptosporidiosis in a Longitudinal Study of Slum-Dwelling Bangladeshi Children: Association with Severe Malnutrition. PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES, 10(5). doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0004564

Spadafora, L. J., Kearney, M. R., Siddique, A., Ali, I. K., Gilchrist, C. A., Arju, T., . . . Cangelosi, G. A. (2016). Species-Specific Immunodetection of an Entamoeba histolytica Cyst Wall Protein. PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES, 10(5). doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0004697

2015

Gilchrist, C. A., Petri, S. E., Schneider, B. N., Reichman, D. J., Jiang, N., Begum, S., . . . Petri, W. A. J. (2016). Role of the Gut Microbiota of Children in Diarrhea Due to the Protozoan Parasite Entamoeba histolytica. JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, 213(10), 1579-1585. doi:10.1093/infdis/jiv772

Gilchrist, C. A., Turner, S. D., Riley, M. F., Petri, W. A. J., & Hewlett, E. L. (2015). Whole-Genome Sequencing in Outbreak Analysis. CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS, 28(3), 541-563. doi:10.1128/CMR.00075-13

Ramakrishnan, G., Pedersen, K., Guenette, D., Sink, J., Hague, R., Petri, W. A. J., . . . Gilchrist, C. A. (2015). Utility of recombinant fragment C for assessment of anti-tetanus antibodies in plasma. DIAGNOSTIC MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE, 82(1), 11-13. doi:10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2015.01.016

2014

Gilchrist, C. A. (2014). Entamoeba bangladeshi: An insight.. Tropical parasitology, 4(2), 96-98. doi:10.4103/2229-5070.138536

2013

Kato, K., Takegawa, Y., Ralston, K. S., Gilchrist, C. A., Hamano, S., Petri, W. A. J., & Shinohara, Y. (2013). Sialic acid-dependent attachment of mucins from three mouse strains to Entamoeba histolytica. BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS, 436(2), 252-258. doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2013.05.085

2012

Abhyankar, M. M., Shrimal, S., Gilchrist, C. A., Bhattacharya, A., & Petri, W. A. J. (2012). The Entamoeba histolytica serum-inducible transmembrane kinase EhTMKB1-9 is involved in intestinal amebiasis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-DRUGS AND DRUG RESISTANCE, 2, 243-248. doi:10.1016/j.ijpddr.2012.01.002

Royer, T. L., Gilchrist, C., Kabir, M., Arju, T., Ralston, K. S., Haque, R., . . . Petri, W. A. J. (2012). Entamoeba bangladeshi nov sp., Bangladesh. EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES, 18(9), 1543-1545. doi:10.3201/eid1809.120122

Gilchrist, C. A., Ali, I. K. M., Kabir, M., Alam, F., Scherbakova, S., Ferlanti, E., . . . Caler, E. (2012). A Multilocus Sequence Typing System (MLST) reveals a high level of diversity and a genetic component to Entamoeba histolytica virulence. BMC MICROBIOLOGY, 12. doi:10.1186/1471-2180-12-151

2011

Duggal, P., Guo, X., Haque, R., Peterson, K. M., Ricklefs, S., Mondal, D., . . . Petri, W. A. J. (2011). A mutation in the leptin receptor is associated with Entamoeba histolytica infection in children. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, 121(3), 1191-1198. doi:10.1172/JCI45294

2010

Abhyankar, M. M., Haviland, S. M., Gilchrist, C. A., & Petri, W. A. (2010). Development of a negative selectable marker for Entamoeba histolytica.. Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE, (46), 2410. doi:10.3791/2410

Gilchrist, C. A., Moore, E. S., Zhang, Y., Bousquet, C. B., Lannigan, J. A., Mann, B. J., & Petri, W. A. J. (2010). Regulation of Virulence of Entamoeba histolytica by the URE3-BP Transcription Factor. MBIO, 1(1). doi:10.1128/mBio.00057-10

Buss, S. N., Hamano, S., Vidrich, A., Evans, C., Zhang, Y., Crasta, O. R., . . . Petri, W. A. J. (2010). Members of the Entamoeba histolytica transmembrane kinase family play non-redundant roles in growth and phagocytosis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY, 40(7), 833-843. doi:10.1016/j.ijpara.2009.12.007