Professor, Head of Clinical Microbiology
DVM – Firat University
MS – University of Missouri
PhD – Texas A&M University
Areas of Interest:
Infectious disease investigation, diagnostic assays, antimicrobial resistance, Rotaviruses, Rhodococcus equi
As the lead veterinary microbiology diagnostician at the UKVDL, I have a multifaceted role encompasses various critical responsibilities. A significant portion of my research efforts centers on infectious disease investigation and antimicrobial resistance. Notably, my lab at the UKVDL, collaborated with the scientists at Gluck Equine Research Center, leading to the discovery of the novel Equine Rotavirus B (ERVB). Additionally, our recent discovery of a novel RVB in newborn goat kids, exhibiting high homology to ERVB, suggests a potential link between Rotavirus B infections in foals and goat kids, paving the way for further exploration.
In response to the concerning surge in rifampin and macrolide resistance among R. equi following dual therapy, my research is geared towards identifying alternative therapeutic options. The goal is to effectively control rhodococcosis in foals while mitigating the risk of further drug resistance development. In a recent study containing necropsied foals with rhodococcosis, we confirmed the trend of increased dual resistance in foals treated with mainstay dual therapy. In addition, we demonstrated that R. equi isolates with pREerm46 significantly increased MICs for trimethoprim- sulfamethoxazole and doxycycline in addition to macrolides. I collaborate with scientists globally focus on unraveling the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance and exploring alternative therapeutics against R. equi.
Selected References:
1- Antimicrobial resistance spectrum conferred by pREerm46 of emerging macrolide (multidrug)-resistant Rhodococcus equi. Erol E., Scortti M., Fortner J., Patel M., Vazquez-Boland JA. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, (Impact Factor: 5.897) Accepted. 2021
2- Identification of ruminant origin Group B Rotavirus associated with diarrhea outbreaks in foals. Uprety T, Sreenivasan CC, Hause BM, Li G, Odemuyiwa SO, Locke S, Morgan J, Zeng L, Gilsenan WF, Slovis N, Metcalfe L, Carter CN, Timoney P, Horohov D, Wang D, Erol E, Adam E, Li F. Viruses (Impact Factor : 3.816). Accepted. 2021
3- Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Rhodococcus equi from necropsied foals with rhodococcosis. E. Erol, S. Locke, A. Saied, M. Cruz Penn, J. Smith and C. Carter. Veterinary Microbiology. (Impact Factor: 3.293)
2020 Mar;242:108568.
4- Development and evaluation of a one-step real-time multiplex TaqMan® RT-qPCR assay for the detection and genotyping of equine G3 and G14 rotaviruses in fecal samples. Mariano Carossino; Maria Barrandeguy; Erdal Erol; Yanqiu Li; Udeni Balasuriya*, Virology Journal (Impact factor: 2.468), 2019 Apr 25;16(1):49. doi: 10.1186/s12985-019-1149-51
5- Temporal trends and predictors of antimicrobial resistance amongStaphylococcus spp. isolated from canine specimens submitted to a diagnostic laboratory. Conner JG, Smith J, Erol E, Locke S, Phillips E, Carter CN, Odoi A*. PLoS One (Impact factor: 2.468), 2018 Aug 1;13(8):e0200719.
6- Emergence of resistance to macrolides and rifampicin in clinical isolates of Rhodococcus equi from foals in central Kentucky, USA: 1995 to 2017. Laura Huber, Steeve Giguere, Nathan Slovis, Craig Carter, Bonnie Barr, Noah Cohen*, Justine Elam, Erdal Erol, Stephan Locke, Erica Phillips, and Jacqueline Smith. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy (Impact factor: 4.715), 63 (1), e01714-18
7- Elevated serum amyloid A levels in cases of aborted equine fetuses due to fetal and placental infections. Erol E, Jackson C, Horohov D, Locke S, Smith J, Carter C. Theriogenology. (Impact Factor: 2.094) 86(4); 971-975. 2016
8-Beta-hemolytic Streptococcus dysgalactiae strains isolated from horses are a genetically distinct population within the Streptococcus dysgalactiae taxon. Pinho MD, Erol E, Ribeiro-Gonçalves B, Mendes CI, Carriço JA, Matos SC, Preziuso S, Luebke-Becker A, Wieler LH, Melo-Cristino J, Ramirez M. Sci Rep. (Impact Factor: 4.379) 2016 Aug 17;6:31736. doi: 10.1038/srep31736.
9- Antimicrobial susceptibility of Rhodococcus equi of animal origin. Anne Riesenberg, Andrea T. Feßler, Erdal Erol, Ellen Prenger-Berninghoff, Yvonne Stamm, Urte Menke, Anton Heusinger, Dieter Klarmann, Stefan Schwarz, Christiane Werckenthin J. Antimicrob Chemother. (Impact Factor: 5.439) 2014 Apr;69(4):1045-9.