Vibrio vulnificus is the cause of 95% of all seafood-related deaths in the United States. It occurs naturally in oysters, the ingestion of which is the primary source of infection. Such infections carry a fatality rate of 50% or more, and occur primarily in males over the age of 40 who have certain liver or blood disorders or have immuno-compromising diseases (e.g. cancer). My laboratory has been studying Vibrio vulnificus since 1976, and has published over 100 studies (including 16 book chapters) on this human pathogen. Another 112 papers on Vibrio vulnificus and other pathogenic vibrios have been presented at national and international conferences. Studies have also been published on Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Aeromonas hydrophila.  My laboratory is internationally recognized as one of the top centers in the world for the study of Vibrio vulnificus, and I am consulted on a regular basis on many aspects of this bacterium, its relationship to oysters, and the disease it produces. I have been retained in over 60 cases as a consultant and expert legal witness regarding this bacterium and other pathogenic Vibrio and Aeromonas species.

Academic background: B.S. in Microbiology, University of Arizona; Ph.D. Georgetown University; Postdoctoral Fellow, Biochemistry, University of Ottawa, Canada. Academic appointment at the University of North Carolina since 1974. Member of Biology Ph.D. Faculty, Nanoscience Ph.D. Faculty, and a Senior Faculty Fellow of the Global Institute for Energy and Environmental Systems.  Member, Standard Methods Committee, American Water Works Association. Formerly, Special Advisor to the Chair, Vibrio vulnificus Committee, Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference. Consultant, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations World Health Organization; Risk Assessment of Vibrio vulnificus in Raw Oysters.  Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology.  Elected to Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Beta Delta, and Sigma Xi national science honorary societies. Recipient, First Citizens Bank Scholar Award for Excellence in Research.  Named a Burrows Welcome Fund Visiting Professor in the Microbiological Sciences.  Currently a Cone Distinguished Professorship for Teaching.  Reviewer for 34 scientific journals and 28 funding organizations. Previously, Editorial Board, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.  Currently, Editorial Board, FEMS Microbiology Ecology.  Invited talks presented in 16 countries.

Please contact me if you have questions about, or require expert witness testimony concerning, Vibrio vulnificus or other aquatic bacterial pathogens. I may be reached at:

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