Mary Poss

Viruses as markers of host population dynamics

We integrate empirical, statistical, and computational approaches to investigate how endogenous virus reflect host population demographics. This research has application to species conservation and to the ecology of infections in natural host populations.

Endogenous retroviruses, genome evolution, and disease 

 We investigate how host genomes evolve in the presence of recently acquired, transcriptionally active, endogenous retroviruses and how these viruses evolve in the new environment of the host genome. We are also studying the role of endogenous retroviruses in genome structural variation and human cancer.

Within host virus dynamics

Two viruses can be better than one. We are using high throughput sequencing approaches to study the molecular mechanisms of disease attenuation that occurs during coinfection with virulent and apathogenic feline lentiviruses.

Neonatal Sepsis and hydrocephalus

Infectious disease contributes to the high rate of infant mortality in developing countries and can have debilitating sequelae including hydrocephalus in survivors. We are employing metagenomic and metatranscriptomic methods in an international collaborative effort to study the neonatal septisome and prevent infant infectious diseases and subsequent neurological complications.