Dayle A. Daines, Ph.D.
Assistant Researcher
Division of Research
Department of Surgery
UC Davis Medical Center

In septic injury and infectious disease, the inflammatory response resulting from microbial or toxic challenge activates the endothelium and facilitates the transmigration of neutrophils and other immune cells across the microvascular wall, which creates pathways for microbes to escape into tissues.  This process is of particular importance with respect to blood-brain barrier injury and meningitis.  My research interests lie in the identification of the functional mechanisms underlying these processes.  Ongoing projects include elucidating the steps during the initial stages of pathogens crossing the microvascular endothelium of the brain, with a view toward identifying possible countermeasures that would be efficacious early in the infectious process.  Another project of interest concerns the ability of Haemophilus influenzae to cause chronic inflammation, and we seek to define the role of certain toxins in facilitating persistence on and within human tissues.

Daines DA, M Bothwell, J Furrer, W Unrath, K. Nelson, J Jarisch, N Melrose, L Greiner, M Apicella and AL Smith. 2005. Haemophilus influenzae luxS mutants form a biofilm and exhibit increased virulence. Microb Pathog, 39:87-96.

Daines, DA, J Jarisch and AL Smith. 2004. Identification and characterization of a nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae putative toxin-antitoxin locus. BMC Microbiol, 4:30.

Daines, DA, LA Cohn, HN Coleman, KS Kim, and AL Smith. 2003. Haemophilus influenzae Rd KW20 has virulence properties. J Med Microbiol, 52:277-282.