Mario Recker
Dr Mario Recker
Royal Society University Research Fellow
Contacts
| Email: | mario.recker@zoo.ox.ac.uk |
| Address: | Department of Zoology, The Tinbergen Building, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS |
| Phone: | 01865 281314 |
Research Interests
My research is primarily focused on the multifaceted epidemiology of antigenically diverse pathogens such as Plasmodium falciparum, Dengue or Influenza. Many pathogens use complex immune evasion strategies to avoid detection and clearance by the host’s immune system which enable them to remain within the host for extended periods of time and also allow for high re-infection rates. With the help of mathematical models and in close collaboration with field and laboratory scientists I investigate the interactions between pathogens and the immune responses that can lead to immune evasion, and explore the driving forces behind antigenic diversity and population structures which facilitate persistence and epidemic outbreaks of infectious diseases.
Selected Publications
- Recker M, Pybus OG, Nee S, Gupta S. (2007) The generation of influenza outbreaks by a network of host immune responses against a limited set of antigenic types. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 104(18):7711-6
- Massey RC, Horsburgh MJ, Lina G, Hook M, Recker M. (2006) The evolution and maintenance of virulence in Staphylococcus aureus: a role for host-to-host transmission? Nat Rev Microbiol. 4(12):953-8
- Williams TN, Mwangi TW, Wambua S, Peto TE, Weatherall DJ, Gupta S, Recker M, Penman BS, Uyoga S, Macharia A, Mwacharo JK, Snow RW, Marsh K. (2005) Negative epistasis between the malaria-protective effects of alpha+-thalassemia and the sickle cell trait. Nat Genet.37(11):1253-7
- Recker M, Al-Bader R, Gupta S. (2005) A mathematical model for a new mechanism of phenotypic variation in malaria. Parasitology. 131(Pt 2):151-9
- Recker M, Nee S, Bull PC, Kinyanjui S, Marsh K, Newbold C, Gupta S (2004) Transient cross-reactive immune responses can orchestrate antigenic variation in malaria. Nature.429(6991):555-8