Kalai Mathee-Narasimhan

Overview
overview
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Prof. Mathee is the first founding faculty member and founding chairman of the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. A native of Malaysia, Dr. Mathee is a dedicated and demanding teacher who has received high praise from her students. She received BSc (Genetics) and M Sc (Microbial Genetics of Neisseria gonorrheae) degrees from the University of Malaya and went on to complete her Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology at the University of Tennessee, Memphis under the tutelage of Martha M. Howe. She did her postdoctoral training at Tufts University in Boston on Helicobacter pylori pathogenesis. Subsequently, she joined Dennis Ohman at the University of Tennessee-Memphis, where she honed her expertise on Pseudomonas aeruginosa and cystic fibrosis (CF). Her interest in biofilm led her to spend time in Copenhagen, working with Niels Hoiby and Soren Molin on various aspects of the infections that ultimately lead to pulmonary failure in CF patients. In 1999, she joined the Department of Biological Sciences at FIU as an Assistant Professor of Pathogenic Microbiology. In 2007, she joined the newly formed Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine as the Associate Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. In 2010 she was promoted to a full professor. She received her MPH on Health Policy and Management from FIU in 2018. She founded the Global Health Conference (previously called International Conference on Tropical Medicine) in 2011. She founded the Global Health Consortium in 2014 and served as the founding director until 2016.
Prof. Mathee has established a multi-faceted research program focused on molecular pathogenesis in the model organism Pseudomonas aeruginosa that is responsible for the high morbidity and mortality in CF patients. She is very passionate about her research and how it might contribute to increasing cystic fibrosis patients' quality of life. She is well-respected nationally and internationally by researchers in multiple fields, including Pseudomonas pathogenesis, alternate therapy using botanicals, microbial biofilm development, regulation of prokaryotic transcription, phage molecular biology, microbiome, and bioinformatics. She has published more than 100 articles and several book chapters in the fields of molecular microbiology, forensic science, microbiome, and bioinformatics - many of which are recognized as seminal and have been selected for journal highlights. Her 2008 paper in Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences was selected by the Faculty of 1000 Biology members, a much-coveted honor.
In 2011, Prof. Mathee received the Mentor of the year award for her commitment to the success of her 150+ mentees, almost all of them have become successful in their chosen career. In 2014, she was honored with the Inaugural Inspiration in Science Award by New England BioLabs — The Passions in Science Award through the nomination of her mentees. In 2011, she was bestowed the highest honor of her career in FIU, the President's Council Worlds Ahead Faculty Award in recognition of outstanding achievement as a student-centered professor who makes an impact and exceeds expectations.
Prof. Mathee is well-known in the international arena, serving as a member on many universities’ committees and holding adjunct appointments. She also served as Editor for several journals — Journal of Medical Microbiology, BMC Microbiology, and Frontier Microbiology. In 2017, the Microbiology Society appointed Professor Mathee as the Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Medical Microbiology, the first international editor in the journals 75-year history. She serves along with Dr, Norman Fry of Public Health England (the CDC equivalent in the UK).
Publications
selected publications
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Article
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2018Outer-membrane protein LptD (PA0595) plays a role in the regulation of alginate synthesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY. 67.Full Text via DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.000752 Web of Science: 000440462400017
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2016Metagenomics, Metatranscriptomics, and Metabolomics Approaches for Microbiome Analysis. EVOLUTIONARY BIOINFORMATICS. 12:5-16.
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2014Long-Term Organic Nutrient Management Fosters the Eubacterial Community Diversity in the Indian Semi-arid Alfisol as Revealed by Length Heterogeneity-PCR. COMMUNICATIONS IN SOIL SCIENCE AND PLANT ANALYSIS. 45:189-203.Full Text via DOI: 10.1080/00103624.2013.841919 Web of Science: 000329141400005
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2014Structural and Functional Characterization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Global Regulator AmpR. JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY. 196:3890-3902.
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2013A dynamic and intricate regulatory network determines Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence. NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH. 41:1-20.
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2013Transcriptional Regulatory Network in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. BACTERIAL GENE REGULATION AND TRANSCRIPTIONAL NETWORKS. 199-221.Web of Science: 000382950400014
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2011Substituted lactam and cyclic azahemiacetals modulate Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum sensing. BIOORGANIC & MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY. 19:5500-5506.
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2010Pseudomonas aeruginosa beta-lactamase induction requires two permeases, AmpG and AmpP. BMC MICROBIOLOGY. 10.
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2009A k(2)A-positive Klebsiella pneumoniae causes liver and brain abscess in a Saint Kitt's man. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES. 6:301-304.
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2008Dynamics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa genome evolution. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 105:3100-3105.
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2008Influence of irrigated agriculture on soil microbial diversity. APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY. 40:146-154.Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2008.03.012 Web of Science: 000259414100016
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2007Assessing microbial community diversity using amplicon length heterogeneity polymerase chain reaction. SOIL SCIENCE SOCIETY OF AMERICA JOURNAL. 71:572-578.Full Text via DOI: 10.2136/sssaj2006.0147 Web of Science: 000244980700038
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2006An assessment of the hypervariable domains of the 16S rRNA genes for their value in determining microbial community diversity: the paradox of traditional ecological indices. FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY. 57:496-503.
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2006An ecoinformatics tool for microbial community studies: Supervised classification of Amplicon Length Heterogeneity (ALH) profiles of 16S rRNA. JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGICAL METHODS. 65:49-62.
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2006Anti-quorum sensing activity of medicinal plants in southern Florida. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY. 105:427-435.
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2006Microbial metagenome profiling using amplicon length heterogeneity-polymerase chain reaction proves more effective than elemental analysis in discriminating soil specimens. JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES. 51:1315-1322.
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2005Clustering using adaptive self-organizing maps (ASOM) and applications. COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE - ICCS 2005, PT 2. 3515:944-951.Web of Science: 000230023800120
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Correction
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2018Outer-membrane protein LptD (PA0595) plays a role in the regulation of alginate synthesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (vol 67, pg 1139, 2018). JOURNAL OF MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY.Full Text via DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.000819 Web of Science: 000448922100013
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Editorial Material
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2019DORA Editorial. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY.Full Text via DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.000887 Web of Science: 000457872000001
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2019DORA Editorial. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM. 125-126.Full Text via DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000751 Web of Science: 000462254800001
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2019DORA Editorial. JOURNAL OF GENERAL VIROLOGY.Full Text via DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001191 Web of Science: 000454716800001
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2019DORA Editorial. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY.Full Text via DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.003172 Web of Science: 000455031500001
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2018DORA Editorial. MICROBIAL GENOMICS.Full Text via DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000238 Web of Science: 000457269200001
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2017Welcome from Norman Fry and Kalai Mathee, new co-Editors-in-Chief for the Journal of Medical Microbiology. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY.Full Text via DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.000520 Web of Science: 000408243600002
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Proceedings Paper
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2013A Metagenomic Approach to the Airways Microbiome of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). 29TH SOUTHERN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING CONFERENCE (SBEC 2013). 151-+.Full Text via DOI: 10.1109/SBEC.2013.84 Web of Science: 000324751700076
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2013Designing Primers with Higher Taxonomic Distinguishability. 29TH SOUTHERN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING CONFERENCE (SBEC 2013). 157-+.Full Text via DOI: 10.1109/SBEC.2013.87 Web of Science: 000324751700079
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2008A Functional Network of Yeast Genes Using Gene Ontology Information. 2008 IEEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BIOINFORMATICS AND BIOMEDICINE, PROCEEDINGS. 343-+.Full Text via DOI: 10.1109/BIBM.2008.60 Web of Science: 000264284200052
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2007PlasmoTFBM: An intelligent queriable database for predicted transcription factor binding motifs in Plasmodium falciparum. METHODS OF MICROARRAY DATA ANALYSIS V. 121-+.Full Text via DOI: 10.1007/978-0-387-34569-7_9 Web of Science: 000243466200009
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Review
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2018Microbial otitis media: recent advancements in treatment, current challenges and opportunities. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY.Full Text via DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.000810 Web of Science: 000448922100001
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2015Current concepts in the pathogenesis and treatment of chronic suppurative otitis media. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY. 1103-1116.
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advised honors theses
- Colbert, Brett, Identification of Alginate-regulating Genes in the Clinical Cystic Fibrosis Isolate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA2192 2017
- Gonzalez, Victor M., The Role of Ras Oncogene in Differentiation of 3T3-L1 Preadipocytes 2013
- Ramirez, Lourdes, Role of Pseudomonas aeruginosa mifSR Two-Component System in Antibiotic Resistance and Biofilm Formation 2012
- Bosse, Raphael C., Role of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA4157in Quorum Sensing and Iron Transport Regulation 2009
- Villaseca, Christian, Testing the Efficacy of Panax ginseng Extract as a Novel Anti-Quorum Sensing Agent 2009
- Maricic, Natalie, Investigating an Alternative Treatment to Cystic Fibrosis: Testing the Effect of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer extracts on Pseudomonas aeruginosa 2008
- Baker, Nabil M. Abou, Presumptive Identification of the Fungal Communities in Cystic Fibrosis Patients' Sputum Using Amplicon Length Heterogeneity Polymerase Chain Reaction 2008
- Jr, Sixto M. Leal, Characterization of L-Serine Deaminase and its Potential Role in the Pathogenicity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa 2006
- Luna, Sergio E., Using a Novel Non-radioactive Method of Primer Extension Analysis to Map the Transcription Start Sites of amp Genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa 2006
- Gurkar, Aditi, Potential Application of Phage Therapy Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Infection in Cystic Fibrosis Patients 2005
- Olavarrieta, Raquel A., Role of AmpR and alginate production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm antibiotic resistance associated with cystic fibrosis 2005
- Cumberbatch, Analisa, Characterization of the Anti-Quorum Sensing Activity Exhibited by Marine Macro algae of South Florida 2002
- Ramos, Damaris, Molecular Mechanisms Involved in Regulating the Mucoid-to-Nonmucoid Conversion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Associated with Cystic Fibrosis Patients 2002
Research
principal investigator on
- Decoding P. aeruginosa RIP cascade and discovering its inhibitors as therapeutics awarded by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases 2015 - 2019
- Global Health Consortium, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine awarded by Sanofi 2016 - 2018
- Alpha Trypsin Deficiency Lung Microbiome Project awarded by Alpha-1 Foundation 2014 - 2017
- BRIDGE Funding 13-14 awarded by FIU Division of Research 2013 - 2015
- Regulation of P. Aeruginosa PoxB Oxacillinase by AmpR and a Two-Component System awarded by National Institute of General Medical Sciences 2008 - 2013
- Identifying intermediate transcriptional regulators of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa AmpR virulence regulon awarded by Cystic Fibrosis Foundation 2011
co-principal investigator on
- Workshop on Health access and policies in Latin American and Caribbean Countries (LACC) awarded by Novartis Latin America Services Inc 2016
- CREST-I/UCRC-Industry Ecosystem to Pipeline Research awarded by National Science Foundation 2012 - 2016
- CREST-I/UCRC-Industry Ecosystem to Pipeline Research awarded by National Science Foundation 2012 - 2015
- The Airway Microbiome in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease awarded by Florida Department of Health 2010 - 2012
- 2007-2008 MBRS Support of Continuous Research Excellence at FIU. awarded by National Institutes of Health 2007 - 2009
investigator on
- Longitudinal Study of Vaginal Microbiota and Persistent Human Papillomavirus Detection awarded by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases 2017 - 2020
- Integrative modeling to link vascular phenotype to gene expression awarded by National Institutes of Health 2014 - 2018
- Geospatial Data and Outreach Facilitation Systems for Vaccination Analysis and Management awarded by Sanofi 2016 - 2017
- CREST-I/UCRC-Industry Ecosystem to Pipeline Research awarded by National Science Foundation 2012 - 2016
- The Airway Microbiome in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease awarded by Florida Department of Health 2010 - 2011
- 2007-2008 MBRS Support of Continuous Research Excellence at FIU. awarded by National Institutes of Health 2007 - 2009
Teaching
teaching activities
- BMS6301-01: Medical Microbiology and Immunology Fall Term 2019
- BMS6301-01: Medical Microbiology and Immunology Fall Term 2019
- GMS6103-01: Molecular Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Spring Term 2019
- GMS6103-01: Molecular Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Spring Term 2019
- GMS6103-01: Molecular Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Spring Term 2019
- GMS6103-01: Molecular Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Spring Term 2019
Contact
full name
- Kalai Mathee-Narasimhan
visualizations
publication subject areas
- Agriculture
- Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
- Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
- Chemistry
- Evolutionary Biology
- General & Internal Medicine
- Genetics & Heredity
- Immunology
- Integrative & Complementary Medicine
- Legal Medicine
- Mathematical & Computational Biology
- Microbiology
- Pathology
- Pharmacology & Pharmacy
- Plant Sciences
- Science & Technology - Other Topics
- Virology