Regulation of immune responses to infectious agents. A number of different NIH-supported projects are being conducted in my lab, all aimed at studying immune regulation in response to infections. The murine model of acute influenza virus infection is utilized for three of the projects. Those projects are involved in understanding the early (innate) regulation of antiviral B cell responses and the role of dendritic cells in regulating local respiratory tract immunity. Further studies are aimed at determining how the use of inactivated influenza virus (a prototype vaccine) and/or immunomodulatory CpG motives might affect the function of these cells. A different infectious disease mouse model, Borrelial burgdorferi infection, is being studied in collaboration with Dr. Stephen Barthold. The aim of this study is to understand the role of T cell-dependent and T-independent B cell responses in affecting this chronic infection. Finally, collaborative studies with investigators at the Dept. of Stomatology, University of California, San Francisco, are being conducted to determine how HIV-infection and highly antiretroviral therapy affect the immune status of the human oral mucosa and what effects this has on susceptibility to opportunistic infections.
Visit Dr. Baumgarth's website: http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/nbaumgarth/