Dr. Yasuko Rikihisa, Professor in the Department of Veterinary Biosciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of her distinguisted and continuieng achievements in original research.
Rikihisa specializes in the study of tick-borne diseases that infect food and fiber-producing animals, companion animals and humans. Her research focuses on understanding how unique bacterial pathogens Ehrlichia, Anaplasma and Neorickettsia can infect and thrive within primary host defensive white blood cells, and cause potentially fatal emerging infectious diseases. Her findings suggest that these bacteria use proteins directly secreted into the host cell cytoplasm to manipulate immune-system cells in animal and human hosts, effectively creating safe havens for themselves until they can build up enough strength and numbers to cause dangerous diseases.
Link: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/NAS2012.htm