Menu News Search Icon
Division of Infectious Diseases & International Health

Petri Lab

William A. Petri, Jr., MD, PhD

UVA Infectious Diseases William Petri

 

PRIMARY APPOINTMENT:

Wade Hampton Frost Professor of Medicine and Vice Chair for Research of the Department of Medicine, and Professor of Medicine, Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology, and Pathology, Medicine: Infectious Diseases and International Health, Medicine: Infectious Diseases and International Health

CONTACT:

Division of Infectious Diseases
345 Crispell Drive, MR-6 1st floor, Room 1709
Charlottesville, VA 22908
Telephone: 434-924-5621
Fax: 434-924-0075
Email: wap3g@virginia.edu

EDUCATION AND TRAINING:

  • PhD, Microbiology, University of Virginia
  • MD, University of Virginia
  • Residency, Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Cleveland
  • Clinical Fellowship, Infectious Diseases, University of Virginia

Current Laboratory Members

Lab Research

William Petri MDRESEARCH AREAS

  • Biotechnology, Immunology, Infectious Diseases/Biodefense
  • Immune mechanisms of defense against COVID-19 and enteric (diarrheal) infections

RESEARCH SUMMARY

William A. Petri, Jr., M.D., Ph.D. studies immunology and molecular pathogenesis of infectious diseases and their consequences. The scope of the research includes immunopathogenesis and vaccine development for COVID-19, molecular parasitology of Entamoeba, innate immune host defense against Clostridium difficile, and in Bangladesh, acquired immunity to Cryptosporidium. We study infections in mouse models, in humans (including clinical trials), and at the lab bench.

COVID-19: We have discovered in patients at the UVA Hospital that an over-active immune system is associated with deterioration to respiratory failure and death and are exploring novel immunotherapy in the mouse model. We also use novel toll-like receptor agonists in a subunit vaccine designed to promote mucosal immunity.

AMEBIASIS: Focusing on amebic colitis, his lab identified the Gal/GalNAc-binding lectin of the parasite Entamoeba histolytica that mediates contact-dependent killing of host cells. Cell biologic studies of adherence, apoptosis, and endocytosis of human cells by the parasite are active areas of investigation. An R01 supports this work to Dr. Petri from the NIH. DNA transformation of the parasite was pioneered in the lab and is used to study molecular pathogenesis. Clinically, the group has developed FDA-approved antigen-detection tests that allow sensitive and specific diagnosis of amebiasis. Current work is focused on the mechanism of Entamoeba killing of host cells by a unique process called trogocytosis (Ralston KD et al., Nature (2014) 508:526) and the development of an amebiasis vaccine in partnership with the Infectious Diseases Research Institute of Seattle (Abhyankar M et al. Vaccine 35 (2017) 916).

C. DIFFICILE: The innate immune response to Clostridium difficile colitis is a new area of investigation. Also supported by a separate R01 to Dr. Petri from the NIH, his lab has discovered that eosinophils protect from C. difficile in both mice (Buonomo EL et al., Cell Reports 2016, 16:1-12) and humans (Kulaylat AS et al., JAMA Surg. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2018.3174.) Understanding how eosinophils protect and why inflammasome activation by toxin activation of TLR2 causes death (Cowardin CA et al. Nature Microbiology 2016, doi:10.1038/nmicrobiol.2016.108) are current areas of focus.

CRYPTOSPORIDIOSIS: The acquired immune response to Cryptosporidium hominis in children growing up in the urban slums of Bangladesh is the third area of investigation. Supported by another NIH R01 grant, the focus of this research is the role of mucosal immunity in defense, including the identification of parasite proteins recognized by IgA and by immune T cells (Steiner KL et al. Clin Infect Dis. 2018 Apr 20. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciy310).

Nineteen graduate students have received their Ph.D. under Dr. Petri’s mentorship, all continuing in science, and 25 postdoctoral fellows. Eleven lab graduates have received K career development awards from the NIH, and nine have received their independent R01. There are five graduate students, three postdoctoral fellows, and six faculty conducting research in the Petri group.

Lab Photos

  • Audrey Brown

  • Farha Naz

  • Feifan Xu

  • Rachel Boone

  • Jashim Uddin

  • Brett Moreau

  • Mary Young

  • Carol Gilchrist

  • Brandon Thompson

  • Stacey Burgess

  • William Petri

  • Jashim Uddin

  • Rachel Boone

  • Brett Moreau

  • Savannah Brovero

  • Brett Moreau

  • Mary Young

  • Carol Gilchrist

  • Brandon Thompson

  • Savannah Brovero

  • William Petri

  • William Petri

In This Section down-arrow
Menu
DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE