Janet Gilsdorf

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Janet Gilsdorf is an American pediatric infectious diseases physician, scientist, and writer at the University of Michigan. Her research has focused on the pathogenic, molecular, and epidemiologic features of the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae.[1] She served as the Director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases in the University of Michigan Health System from 1989 to 2012 and Co-Director of the Center for Molecular and Clinical Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases at the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan from 2000 – 2015.[2] In addition to her scientific publications, [3] she is also the author of two novels, one memoir, one non-fiction book, and a number of medically-oriented essays.[1]

Early life and education[edit]

Janet Gilsdorf attended North Dakota State University and the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and received her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine.[4] She trained in pediatrics at Baylor Affiliated Hospitals in Houston, Texas, and at Valley Medical Center in Fresno, California.[5] She completed a pediatric infectious diseases fellowship at the University of Minnesota,[4] under the mentorship of Patricia Ferrieri.

Research[edit]

Gilsdorf’s research focused primarily on increasing our understanding of the epidemiology, molecular genetics, and pathogenicity of the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae, which causes both middle ear infections and severe systemic infections including meningitis in children.[6]

Bacterial meningitis in Native Alaskan children[edit]

While working at the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation in Bethel, Alaska, Gilsdorf documented the high rate of H. influenzae meningitis in children diagnosed at the Alaska Native Health Service Hospital.[7] This observation led to clinical trials of H. influenzae type b vaccines in native Alaskan children, who exhibited a rate of infection ten to fifteen times higher than that reported in studies from the continental United States.[8][7]   

Colonization of H. influenzae in children attending day care[edit]

Gilsdorf showed that children attending a day care center in which a child had experienced a serious infection with H. influenzae often carried that bacterium in their noses and/or throats without being infected.[9] Gilsdorf and her coauthors also demonstrated the ability of the antibiotic rifampin to decrease H. influenzae carriage.[10] These studies led to the recommendation to treat household and day care center contacts with rifampin to eliminate H. influenzae carriage and thus decrease the risk of infection.[11]

Adherence of H. influenzae to human epithelial cells[edit]

After demonstrating that H. influenzae adhere to human epithelial cells,[12] Gilsdorf and her collaborators showed that the adherence was mediated by surface proteins called pili and described the components of those structures.[13][14][15][16]

Genetic diversity of H. influenzae[edit]

Gilsdorf and her colleagues demonstrated the high level of genetic diversity among colonizing strains of H. influenzae,[17][18] which led to their description of the H. influenzae strain dynamics during pharyngeal colonization.[19]

Identification of genetic differences between pathogenic and non-pathogenic H. influenzae[edit]

Gilsdorf and her associates described genetic differences between disease-causing and colonizing H. influenzae strains, suggesting that the genes more prevalent among disease-causing strains represent bacterial factors that may contribute to H. influenzae pathogenicity and disease.[20][21]

Genetic technique to distinguish encapsulated from non-encapsulated H. influenzae[edit]

Gilsdorf and her colleagues described a molecular typing method that utilized identification of a key capsule gene among H. influenzae strains.[22] This new technique, identifying bexB in clinical isolates, is now used by the Centers for Disease Control to type H. influenzae.[23]

Literary works[edit]

Non-fiction[edit]

  • Inside/Outside: A Physician’s Journey with Breast Cancer (2006)
  • Continual Raving: A History of Meningitis and the People who Conquered It (2019)

Fiction[edit]

  • Ten Days (2011)
  • Fever (2022)

Personal life[edit]

Gilsdorf lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with her husband Jim. She has two adult sons.[24] She documented her experience with cancer in her memoir Inside/Outside: A Physician’s Journey with Breast Cancer.[24]

Recognition[edit]

Professional service[edit]

  • Member, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003 to 2007[29]
  • President, the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, 2015 to 2017[30]
  • Board of Directors, Infectious Diseases Society of America, 2005-2008[31]
  • Board of Scientific Counselors, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 2007-2011[31]
  • Board of Directors, Cancer Support Community of Ann Arbor, 2022-present[32]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "PubMed". PubMed. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  2. ^ "Memoir | Faculty History Project". faculty-history.dc.umich.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  3. ^ "My Bibliography - NCBI". www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  4. ^ a b "Janet Gilsdorf, M.D. | Faculty Profiles | U-M School of Public Health". sph.umich.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  5. ^ a b c "Memoir | Faculty History Project". faculty-history.dc.umich.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  6. ^ Butler, David F.; Myers, Angela L. (March 2018). "Changing Epidemiology of Haemophilus influenzae in Children". Infectious Disease Clinics of North America. 32 (1): 119–128. doi:10.1016/j.idc.2017.10.005. ISSN 1557-9824. PMID 29233576.
  7. ^ a b Gilsdorf, J. R. (1 November 1977). "Bacterial meningitis in southwestern Alaska". American Journal of Epidemiology. 106 (5): 388–391. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112480. ISSN 0002-9262. PMID 920727.
  8. ^ Cotton, P. (1990-05-16). "It's 'north to Alaska' for research on some vaccines by infectious diseases staff". JAMA. 263 (19): 2583. ISSN 0098-7484. PMID 2158578.
  9. ^ Granoff, D. M.; Gilsdorf, J.; Gessert, C. E.; Lowe, L. (January 1980). "Haemophilus influenzae type b in a day care center: relationship of nasopharyngeal carriage to development of anticapsular antibody". Pediatrics. 65 (1): 65–68. ISSN 0031-4005. PMID 6965531.
  10. ^ Gessert, C.; Granoff, D. M.; Gilsdorf, J. (July 1980). "Comparison of rifampin and ampicillin in day care center contacts of Haemophilus influenzae type b disease". Pediatrics. 66 (1): 1–4. ISSN 0031-4005. PMID 6967580.
  11. ^ "Prevention and Control of Haemophilus influenzae Type b Disease: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)". www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  12. ^ Gilsdorf, J. R.; Ferrieri, P. (1984). "Adherence of Haemophilus influenzae to human epithelial cells". Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases. 16 (3): 271–278. doi:10.3109/00365548409070400. ISSN 0036-5548. PMID 6333718.
  13. ^ Clemans, D. L.; Marrs, C. F.; Patel, M.; Duncan, M.; Gilsdorf, J. R. (February 1998). "Comparative analysis of Haemophilus influenzae hifA (pilin) genes". Infection and Immunity. 66 (2): 656–663. doi:10.1128/IAI.66.2.656-663.1998. ISSN 0019-9567. PMC 107953. PMID 9453623.
  14. ^ Gilsdorf, J. R.; Marrs, C. F.; McCrea, K. W.; Forney, L. J. (April 1990). "Cloning, expression, and sequence analysis of the Haemophilus influenzae type b strain M43p+ pilin gene". Infection and Immunity. 58 (4): 1065–1072. doi:10.1128/iai.58.4.1065-1072.1990. ISSN 0019-9567. PMC 258583. PMID 1969389.
  15. ^ Gilsdorf, J. R.; McCrea, K.; Forney, L. (July 1990). "Conserved and nonconserved epitopes among Haemophilus influenzae type b pili". Infection and Immunity. 58 (7): 2252–2257. doi:10.1128/iai.58.7.2252-2257.1990. ISSN 0019-9567. PMC 258805. PMID 1694821.
  16. ^ Watson, W. J.; Gilsdorf, J. R.; Tucci, M. A.; McCrea, K. W.; Forney, L. J.; Marrs, C. F. (February 1994). "Identification of a gene essential for piliation in Haemophilus influenzae type b with homology to the pilus assembly platform genes of gram-negative bacteria". Infection and Immunity. 62 (2): 468–475. doi:10.1128/iai.62.2.468-475.1994. ISSN 0019-9567. PMC 186131. PMID 7905461.
  17. ^ Lacross, Nathan C.; Marrs, Carl F.; Patel, Mayuri; Sandstedt, Sara A.; Gilsdorf, Janet R. (November 2008). "High genetic diversity of nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae isolates from two children attending a day care center". Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 46 (11): 3817–3821. doi:10.1128/JCM.00940-08. ISSN 1098-660X. PMC 2576570. PMID 18845825.
  18. ^ Berrens, Zachary J.; Marrs, Carl F.; Pettigrew, Melinda M.; Sandstedt, Sara A.; Patel, Mayuri; Gilsdorf, Janet R. (November 2007). "Genetic diversity of paired middle-ear and pharyngeal nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae isolates from children with acute otitis media". Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 45 (11): 3764–3767. doi:10.1128/JCM.00964-07. ISSN 0095-1137. PMC 2168485. PMID 17804648.
  19. ^ Mukundan, Deepa; Ecevit, Zafer; Patel, Mayuri; Marrs, Carl F.; Gilsdorf, Janet R. (October 2007). "Pharyngeal colonization dynamics of Haemophilus influenzae and Haemophilus haemolyticus in healthy adult carriers". Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 45 (10): 3207–3217. doi:10.1128/JCM.00492-07. ISSN 0095-1137. PMC 2045313. PMID 17687018.
  20. ^ Hariadi, Nurul I.; Zhang, Lixin; Patel, Mayuri; Sandstedt, Sara A.; Davis, Gregg S.; Marrs, Carl F.; Gilsdorf, Janet R. (July 2015). "Comparative Profile of Heme Acquisition Genes in Disease-Causing and Colonizing Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae and Haemophilus haemolyticus". Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 53 (7): 2132–2137. doi:10.1128/JCM.00345-15. ISSN 1098-660X. PMC 4473220. PMID 25903577.
  21. ^ Zhang, Lixin; Patel, Mayuri; Xie, Jingping; Davis, Gregg S.; Marrs, Carl F.; Gilsdorf, Janet R. (February 2013). "Urease operon and urease activity in commensal and disease-causing nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae". Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 51 (2): 653–655. doi:10.1128/JCM.03145-12. ISSN 1098-660X. PMC 3553914. PMID 23224103.
  22. ^ Davis, Gregg S.; Patel, May; Hammond, James; Zhang, Lixin; Dawid, Suzanne; Marrs, Carl F.; Gilsdorf, Janet R. (December 2014). "Prevalence, distribution, and sequence diversity of hmwA among commensal and otitis media non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae". Infection, Genetics and Evolution: Journal of Molecular Epidemiology and Evolutionary Genetics in Infectious Diseases. 28: 223–232. doi:10.1016/j.meegid.2014.09.035. ISSN 1567-7257. PMC 4300233. PMID 25290952.
  23. ^ "Meningitis Lab Manual: PCR Detection and Characterization | CDC". www.cdc.gov. 2022-04-01. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  24. ^ a b "The University of Michigan Press". University of Michigan Press. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  25. ^ "Summer 2022". Alpha Omega Alpha. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  26. ^ "Past Award Recipients". NDSU Foundation. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  27. ^ "League of Research Excellence". University of Michigan Medical School. 2017-01-10. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  28. ^ Downes, Kevin J. (September 2012). "The Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society Annual Awards, 2012". Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. 1 (3): 171–178. doi:10.1093/jpids/pis074. ISSN 2048-7193. PMID 26619404.
  29. ^ "IAC EXPRESS - Issue #568". www.immunize.org. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  30. ^ Dr. Janet Gilsdorf, PIDS President, retrieved 2023-01-13
  31. ^ a b "Former CC Board Members | Clinical Center Home Page". clinicalcenter.nih.gov. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  32. ^ "OUR TEAM – CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY". Retrieved 2023-01-14.

External links[edit]

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