UC Irvine News Brief: Salmonella investigator wins award

Dr. Manuela Raffatellu, UC Irvine assistant professor of microbiology & molecular genetics, has been chosen by the American Society for Microbiology to receive a 2010 Young Investigator Award. The award recognizes an early career scientist for research excellence in microbiology and infectious diseases. Early in her post-doctoral studies, Raffatellu was intrigued by the clinical observation that the human pathogen Salmonella typhi does not trigger an inflammatory response in the gut. She has done extensive work on salmonella affecting humans since. The award will be presented during the society’s 50th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents & Chemotherapy this week in Boston. ASM is the world’s oldest and largest life science organization, with more than 40,000 members worldwide. Its mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health, economic and environmental well-being.