Virology & Mycology
Open Access

Marli Azevedo

Biography

Dr. Azevedo has received her PhD in Virus Immunology at the Ohio State University. Currently, she is working as a Research Microbiologist at the National Center for Toxicological Research, US Food and Drug Administration in Jefferson, Arkansas. Her research has included the study of rotavirus mucosal immunity and pathogenesis. Her most current work is focused on the molecular epidemiology of Coronaviruses, and Noroviruses immunity and infection. She is serving as expert reviewer for journals like Journal of Virology, Vaccine, Expert Review Vaccines and Future of Medicine. She has authored 46 research articles/books. She is a member of American Society for Virology, American Society for Microbiology and Society for Mucosal Immunology.

Research Interest

Our current studies are focused on respiratory and enteric viruses, among them: Coronaviruses and Noroviruses. Coronaviruses are responsible for causing acute respiratory tract infections in humans and respiratory, gastrointestinal, neuropathies and systemic diseases in animals. Noroviruses are responsible for 60% of the food and waterborne gastroenteritis outbreaks. Twenty-three million Americans are sickened with Norovirus yearly, accounting for 50,000 hospitalizations and 300 deaths. We have used qRT-PCR, RT-PCR, plaque assay, virus isolation, cloning, sequencing, confocal microscopy, immunofluorescence assay and cell culture, among other techniques, to study the mechanism of transmission of coronavirus and to determine the current strains circulating in humans and animals in Arkansas. We have identified a feline and a canine norovirus circulating in Arkansas. We have also constructed a norovirus-like particle to assess the exposure to canine or feline norovirus by humans. We are currently exploring a cell culture model to support norovirus replication.

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