WSU Scientists Work to Unravel the Mysteries of Emerging Diseases

PULLMAN, Wash. –Researchers at Washington State University are using sophisticated molecular techniques to track killer pathogens, predict where new deadly outbreaks will come from and figure out what makes us vulnerable to infection. 

In “Contagion!,” a feature story in the fall issue of Washington State Magazine, veterinary microbiologists Tom Besser, Margaret Davis and Douglas Call describe their efforts to pinpoint sources of Salmonella, E. coli, and other illness-causing bacteria and determine why some strains are harmless and others are killers. Ecologists Mark Dybdahl and Andrew Storfer explore possible reasons for pathogen population explosions and how environmental contamination might make us more susceptible to infection. 

The magazine will be available at many locations on campus and in Pullman in mid-August. The story is available online at https://washington-state-magazine.wsu.edu/stories/2007/August/contagion.html or at https://wsm.wsu.edu/select-features/WSMfeature-contagion.pdf.