Rita R. Colwell

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Distinguished University Professor

3103 Biomolecular Sciences Building

(301) 405-9550

Education:

Ph.D., University of Washington (Oceanography)

Special Awards/Honors:

2006 National Medal of Science (given by President George W. Bush), the 2006 "Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star," Japan Society for Promotion of Science, 2010 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate, 2016 Malaysian Academy of Science Mahthir Science Award for Scientific Excellence in Work in the Tropical Regions, 2016 Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water, Creativity Prize, Saudi Arabia, 2017 Vannevar Bush Award, National Science Board and National Science Foundation, 2017 International Prize for Biology, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan, 2017 Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur ("Knight of the Legion of Honor"), France, 2018 Lee Kuan Yew (Singapore) Water Prize. Dr. Colwell has served as President, American Society for Microbiology (ASM), President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), President, American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), President, American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), and is Chair of the Research Board for the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative through 2020.

Biography:

Rita Colwell is a Distinguished University Professor with an appointment in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies.

Colwell is one of the world’s leading researchers of cholera—a waterborne disease estimated by the World Health Organization to strike three to five million people annually, many of them young children. Her efforts to track and predict cholera outbreaks are multi-faceted, combining bioinformatics with the pioneering use of satellite imaging. She was one of the first scientists to employ remote sensing for disease prediction, as well as recognize the impact of climate change on the waterborne microbial world.

Go here to view Colwell's most recent academic publications.

Publications

2013

Jutla A, Akanda AShafqat, Huq A, Faruque ASyed Golam, Colwell RR, Islam S. 2013. A water marker monitored by satellites to predict seasonal endemic cholera. Remote Sensing Letters. 4472741982394456(8):822-831.

Rashid A, Haley BJ, Rajabov M, Ahmadova S, Gurbanov S, Colwell RR, Huq A. 2013. Detection of Vibrio cholerae in environmental waters including drinking water reservoirs of Azerbaijan. Environmental Microbiology Reports. (1):30-38.

Clements JD, Connell ND, Dirks C, El-Faham M, Hay A, Heitman E, Stith JH, Bond EC, Colwell RR, Anestidou L et al.. 2013. Engaging Actively with Issues in the Responsible Conduct of Science: Lessons from International Efforts Are Relevant for Undergraduate Education in the United States. CBE—Life Sciences Education. (4):596-603.

Preston ND, Daszak P, Colwell RR. 2013. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology One Health: The Human-Animal-Environment Interfaces in Emerging Infectious Diseases The Human Environment Interface: Applying Ecosystem Concepts to Health. 365:83-100.

Bozo-Hurtado L, García-Amado M, Chistoserdov A, Varela R, Narvaez J, Colwell RR, Suárez P. 2013. Identification of bacteria in enrichment cultures of sulfate reducers in the Cariaco Basin water column employing Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis of 16S ribosomal RNA gene fragments. Aquatic Biosystems. 9(1):17.

Shaman J., Solomon S., Colwell RR, Field C.B. 2013. Fostering advances in interdisciplinary climate science. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (Supplement_114869243Supplement_1):3653-3656.

Chomvarin C., Johura F.-T., Mannan S.B, Jumroenjit W., Kanoktippornchai B., Tangkanakul W., Tantisuwichwong N., Huttayananont S., Watanabe H., Hasan N.A et al.. 2013. Drug response and genetic properties of Vibrio cholerae associated with endemic cholera in north-eastern Thailand, 2003-2011. Journal of Medical Microbiology. :599-609.

Vezzulli L, Colwell RR, Pruzzo C. 2013. Ocean Warming and Spread of Pathogenic Vibrios in the Aquatic Environment. Microbial Ecology. :817-825.

Cantet F, Hervio-Heath D, Caro A, Le Mennec C, Monteil C, Quéméré C, Jolivet-Gougeon A, Colwell RR, Monfort P. 2013. Quantification of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio cholerae in French Mediterranean coastal lagoons. Research in Microbiology. 164(8):867-874.

Hasan NA, Ceccarelli D, Grim CJ, Taviani E, Choi J, Sadique A, Alam M, Siddique AK, R. Sack B, Huq A et al.. 2013. Distribution of Virulence Genes in Clinical and Environmental Vibrio cholerae Strains in Bangladesh. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. (18):5782-5785.

2012

Johnson CN, Bowers JC, Griffitt KJ, Molina V, Clostio RW, Pei S, Laws E, Paranjpye RN, Strom MS, Chen A et al.. 2012. Ecology of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus in the Coastal and Estuarine Waters of Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, and Washington (United States). Applied and Environmental Microbiology. (20):7249-7257.

Rashed S.M, Mannan S.B, Johura F.-T., Islam M.T, Sadique A., Watanabe H., Sack R.B, Huq A., Colwell RR, Cravioto A. et al.. 2012. Genetic characteristics of drug-resistant Vibrio cholerae O1 causing endemic cholera in Dhaka, 2006-2011. Journal of Medical Microbiology. :1736-1745.

W Easterday R, Kausrud KL, Star B, Heier L, Haley BJ, Ageyev V, Colwell RR, Stenseth NChr. 2012. An additional step in the transmission of Yersinia pestis? The ISME Journal. (2):231-236.

Huq A, Haley BJ, Taviani E, Chen A, Hasan NA, Colwell RR. 2012. Detection, Isolation, and Identification of Vibrio cholerae from the Environment. Current Protocols in Microbiology. 26(1)

Senoh M, Ghosh‐Banerjee J, Ramamurthy T, Colwell RR, Miyoshi S-ichi, Nair BG, Takeda Y. 2012. Conversion of viable but nonculturable enteric bacteria to culturable by co‐culture with eukaryotic cells. Microbiology and Immunology. 56(5):342-345.

Alam M, Islam TM, Rashed S M, Johura F-T, Bhuiyan NA, Delgado G, Morales R, Mendez J L, Navarro A, Watanabe H et al.. 2012. Vibrio Cholerae Classical Biotype Strains Reveal Distinct Signatures in Mexico. Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

Vezzulli L, Brettar I, Pezzati E, Reid PC, Colwell RR, Höfle MG, Pruzzo C. 2012. Long-term effects of ocean warming on the prokaryotic community: evidence from the vibrios. The ISME Journal. 6111114882511(1):21-30.

Nahar S, Sultana M, Naser NM, Nair GB, Watanabe H, Ohnishi M, Yamamoto S, Endtz H, Cravioto A, Sack BR et al.. 2012. Role of Shrimp Chitin in the Ecology of Toxigenic Vibrio cholerae and Cholera Transmission. Frontiers in Microbiology. 2:260

Haley BJ, Chen A, Grim CJ, Clark P, Diaz CM, Taviani E, Hasan NA, Sancomb E, Elnemr WM, Islam MA et al.. 2012. Vibrio cholerae in a historically cholera-free country. Environmental Microbiology Reports. (4):381-389.

Mozumder PK, Banu MA, Naser MN, Ali MS, Alam M, Sack RB, Colwell RR, Huq A. 2012. Occurrence of protozoans & their limnological relationships in some ponds of Mathbaria, Bangladesh. University Journal of Zoology, Rajshahi University. 29(1):69-71.

Banakar V, Constantin de Magny G, Jacobs J, Murtugudde R, Huq A, J. Wood R, Colwell RR. 2012. Temporal and Spatial Variability in the Distribution of Vibrio vulnificus in the Chesapeake Bay: A Hindcast Study. EcoHealth. :1-12.

Taviani E, Spagnoletti M, Ceccarelli D, Haley BJ, Hasan NA, Chen A, Colombo MM, Huq A, Colwell RR. 2012. Genomic analysis of ICE Vch Ban8: An atypical genetic element in Vibrio cholerae. FEBS Letters. (11):1617-1621.

Stauder M, Huq A, Pezzati E, Grim CJ, Ramoino P, Pane L, Colwell RR, Pruzzo C, Vezzulli L. 2012. Role of GbpA protein, an important virulence-related colonization factor, for Vibrio cholerae's survival in the aquatic environment. Environmental Microbiology Reports. (4):439-445.

Hasan N.A, Choi S.Y, Eppinger M., Clark P.W, Chen A., Alam M., Haley B.J, Taviani E., Hine E., Su Q. et al.. 2012. Genomic diversity of 2010 Haitian cholera outbreak strains. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. :E2010-E2017.

2011

De Magny G C, Mozumder PK, Grim CJ, Hasan NA, Naser NM, Alam M, Sack BR, Huq A, Colwell RR. 2011. Role of Zooplankton Diversity in Vibrio Cholerae Population Dynamics and in the Incidence of Cholera in the Bangladesh Sundarbans. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 77(17):6125-6132.

Jutla AS, Akanda AS, Griffiths JK, Colwell RR, Islam S. 2011. Warming Oceans, Phytoplankton, and River Discharge: Implications for Cholera Outbreaks. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 85(2):303-308.

Vezzulli L, Brettar I, Pezzati E, Reid PC, Colwell RR, Höfle MG, Pruzzo C. 2011. Long-term effects of ocean warming on the prokaryotic community: evidence from the vibrios. The ISME Journal. 6(1):21-30.

Martinelli Filho JE, Lopes RM, Rivera ING, Colwell RR. 2011. Vibrio Cholerae O1 Detection in Estuarine and Coastal Zooplankton. Journal of Plankton Research. 33(1):51-62.

Souza CP, Almeida BC, Colwell RR, Rivera ING. 2011. The Importance of Chitin in the Marine Environment. Marine Biotechnology. :1-8.

Kirschner AKT, Schauer S, Steinberger B, Wilhartitz I, Grim CJ, Huq A, Colwell RR, Herzig A, Sommer R. 2011. Interaction of Vibrio cholerae non-O1/non-O139 with Copepods, Cladocerans and Competing Bacteria in the Large Alkaline Lake Neusiedler See, Austria. Microbial ecology. 61(3):496-506.

Huq A, Grim CJ, Colwell RR. 2011. Aquatic Realm and Cholera. Epidemiological and Molecular Aspects on Cholera. :311-339.

Alam M, Islam A, Bhuiyan NA, Rahim N, Hossain A, Khan GY, Ahmed D, Watanabe H, Izumiya H, Faruque ASG et al.. 2011. Clonal transmission, dual peak, and off-season cholera in Bangladesh. Infection Ecology & Epidemiology. 1(1)

Gurbanov S, Akhmadov R, Shamkhalova G, Akhmadova S, Haley BJ, Colwell RR, Huq A. 2011. Occurrence of Vibrio cholerae in Municipal and Natural Waters and Incidence of Cholera in Azerbaijan. EcoHealth. (4):468-477.

Hasan NA, Chowdhury BW, Rahim N, Sultana M, Shabnam AS, Mai V, Ali A, Morris GJ, Sack BR, Huq A et al.. 2011. Metagenomic 16S rDNA Targeted PCR-DGGE in Determining Bacterial Diversity in Aquatic Ecosystem. Bangladesh Journal of Microbiology. 27(2)

Kimes NE, Grim CJ, Johnson WR, Hasan NA, Tall BD, Kothary MH, Kiss H, Munk CA, Tapia R, Green L et al.. 2011. Temperature regulation of virulence factors in the pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus. The ISME Journal. 6(4):835-846.

2010

Caburlotto G, Haley BJ, Lleò MM, Huq A, Colwell RR. 2010. Serodiversity and ecological distribution of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in the Venetian Lagoon, Northeast Italy. Environmental Microbiology Reports. 2(1):151-157.

Grim CJ, Choi J, Chun J, Jeon Y-S, Taviani E, Hasan NA, Haley B, Huq A, Colwell RR. 2010. Occurrence of the Vibrio cholerae seventh pandemic VSP-I island and a new variant. OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology. 14(1):1-7.

Vezzulli L, Pruzzo C, Huq A, Colwell RR. 2010. Environmental reservoirs of Vibrio cholerae and their role in cholera. Environmental Microbiology Reports. 2(1):27-33.

Bradd H, Christopher G, Nur H, Seon-Young C, Jongsik C, Thomas B, David B, Jean C, Chris DJ, Cliff H et al.. 2010. Comparative genomic analysis reveals evidence of two novel Vibrio species closely related to V. cholerae. BMC Microbiology. 10

Hasan NA, Grim CJ, Haley BJ, Chun J, Alam M, Taviani E, Hoq M, Munk CA, Colwell RR. 2010. Comparative Genomics of Clinical and Environmental Vibrio Mimicus. Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesPNAS. 107(49):21134-21139.

Grim CJ, Hasan NA, Taviani E, Haley B, Chun J, Brettin TS, Bruce DC, Detter CJ, Han CS, Chertkov O et al.. 2010. Genome Sequence of Hybrid Vibrio Cholerae O1 MJ-1236, B-33, and CIRS101 and Comparative Genomics with V. Cholerae. Journal of BacteriologyJ. Bacteriol.. 192(13):3524-3533.

Caburlotto G, Lleò MM, Hilton T, Huq A, Colwell RR, Kaper JB. 2010. Effect on Human Cells of Environmental Vibrio Parahaemolyticus Strains Carrying Type III Secretion System 2. Infection and ImmunityInfect. Immun.. 78(7):3280-3287.

Senoh M, Ghosh‐Banerjee J, Ramamurthy T, Hamabata T, Kurakawa T, Takeda M, Colwell RR, Nair BG, Takeda Y. 2010. Conversion of viable but nonculturable Vibrio cholerae to the culturable state by co‐culture with eukaryotic cells. Microbiology and Immunology. 54(9):502-507.

Taviani E, Grim CJ, Choi J, Chun J, Haley B, Hasan NA, Huq A, Colwell RR. 2010. Discovery of novel Vibrio cholerae VSP‐II genomic islands using comparative genomic analysis. FEMS Microbiology Letters. 308(2):130-137.

Whitehouse CA, Baldwin C, Sampath R, Blyn LB, Melton R, Li F, Hall TA, Harpin V, Matthews H, Tediashvili M et al.. 2010. Identification of Pathogenic Vibrio Species by Multilocus PCR-Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry and Its Application to Aquatic Environments of the Former Soviet Republic of Georgia. Applied and Environmental MicrobiologyAppl. Environ. Microbiol.. 76(6):1996-2001.

Purdy AE, Balch D, Lizárraga‐Partida M L, Islam M S, Martinez‐Urtaza J, Huq A, Colwell RR, Bartlett DH. 2010. Diversity and distribution of cholix toxin, a novel ADP‐ribosylating factor from Vibrio cholerae. Environmental Microbiology Reports. 2(1):198-207.

Haley BJ, Grim CJ, Hasan NA, Taviani E, Chun J, Brettin TS, Bruce DC, Challacombe JF, Detter CJ, Han CS et al.. 2010. The pre‐seventh pandemic Vibrio cholerae BX 330286 El Tor genome: evidence for the environment as a genome reservoir. Environmental Microbiology Reports. 2(1):208-216.

2009

Colwell RR. 2009. Viable but not cultivable bacteria. Uncultivated Microorganisms. :121-129.

Chun J, Grim CJ, Hasan NA, Lee JH, Choi SY, Haley BJ, Taviani E, Jeon YS, Kim DW, Lee JH et al.. 2009. Comparative genomics reveals mechanism for short-term and long-term clonal transitions in pandemic Vibrio cholerae. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 106(36):15442-15447.

Brettin T S[L A N L, Bruce D C[L A N L, Challacombe J F[L A N L, Detter J C[L A N L, Han C S[L A N L, Munik C[L A N LA, Chertkov O[L A N L, Meincke L[L A N L, Saunders E[L A N L, Choi S Y[SEOUL NATL UNIV et al.. 2009. Genome assortment, not serogroup, defines Vibrio cholerae pandemic strains. Nature.

Alam M, Chowdhury WB, Bhuiyan NA, Islam A, Hasan NA, Nair BG, Watanabe H, Siddique AK, Huq A, Sack BR et al.. 2009. Serogroup, Virulence, and Genetic Traits of Vibrio Parahaemolyticus in the Estuarine Ecosystem of Bangladesh. Applied and Environmental MicrobiologyAppl. Environ. Microbiol.. 75(19):6268-6274.

Grim CJ, Jaiani E, Whitehouse CA, Janelidze N, Kokashvili T, Tediashvili M, Colwell RR, Huq A. 2009. Detection of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 in freshwater lakes of the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. Environmental Microbiology Reports. 2(1):2-6.

Grim CJ, Zo Y-G, Hasan NA, Ali A, Chowdhury WB, Islam A, Rashid MH, Alam M, Morris GJ, Huq A et al.. 2009. RNA Colony Blot Hybridization Method for Enumeration of Culturable Vibrio Cholerae and Vibrio Mimicus Bacteria. Applied and Environmental MicrobiologyAppl. Environ. Microbiol.. 75(17):5439-5444.

Ford TE, Colwell RR, Rose JB, Morse SS, Rogers DJ, Yates TL. 2009. Using Satellite Images of Environmental Changes to Predict Infectious Disease Outbreaks. Emerging Infectious DiseasesEmerg Infect Dis. 15(9):1341-1346.

Mohapatra SS, Mantri CK, Mohapatra H, Colwell RR, Singh DV. 2009. Analysis of clonally related environmental Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor isolated before 1992 from Varanasi, India reveals origin of SXT‐ICEs belonging to O139 and O1 serogroups. Environmental Microbiology Reports. 2(1):50-57.

Khondker M, Bhuiyan R A, Yeasmin J, Alam M, Sack BR, Huq A, Colwell RR. 2009. New records of phytoplankton for Bangladesh. 9. Some rare and a new species. Bangladesh Journal of Plant Taxonomy. 16(1)

Bowler C, Karl DM, Colwell RR. 2009. Microbial oceanography in a sea of opportunity. Nature. 459(7244):180-184.

Jakupciak JP, Colwell RR. 2009. Biological agent detection technologies. Molecular Ecology Resources. 9(s1):51-57.

Zo Y-G, Chokesajjawatee N, Grim C, Arakawa E, Watanabe H, Colwell RR. 2009. Diversity and Seasonality of Bioluminescent Vibrio Cholerae Populations in Chesapeake Bay. Applied and Environmental MicrobiologyAppl. Environ. Microbiol.. 75(1):135-146.

Mohapatra SS, Ramachandran D, Mantri CK, Colwell RR, Singh DV. 2009. Determination of relationships among non-toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 biotype El Tor strains from housekeeping gene sequences and ribotype patterns. Research in Microbiology. 160(1):57-62.

Constantin de Magny G, Long W, Brown CW, Hood RR, Huq A, Murtugudde R, Colwell RR. 2009. Predicting the distribution of Vibrio spp. in the Chesapeake Bay: a Vibrio cholerae case study. EcoHealth. 6(3):378-389.

Colwell RR, Chun J. 2009. The Genus Vibrio and Related Genera. Practical handbook of microbiologyPractical handbook of microbiology. :267-267.

2008

Grim CJ, Taviani E, Alam M, Huq A, Sack BR, Colwell RR. 2008. Occurrence and Expression of Luminescence in Vibrio Cholerae. Applied and Environmental MicrobiologyAppl. Environ. Microbiol.. 74(3):708-715.

Zo Y-G, Colwell RR. 2008. A simple binomial test for estimating sequencing errors in public repository 16S rRNA sequences. Journal of Microbiological Methods. 72(2):166-179.

Snellman EA, Colwell RR. 2008. Transesterification activity of a novel lipase from Acinetobacter venetianus RAG-1. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. 94(4):621-625.

Khondker M, Bhuiyan R A, Yeasmin J, Alam M, Sack BR, Huq A, Colwell RR. 2008. New records of phytoplankton for Bangladesh. 8. Trachelomonas Ehr. (Euglenophyceae). Bangladesh Journal of Botany. 37(2)

Constantin de Magny G, Murtugudde R, Sapiano MRP, Nizam A, Brown CW, Busalacchi AJ, Yunus M, Nair GB, Gil AI, Lanata CF et al.. 2008. Environmental signatures associated with cholera epidemics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 105(46):17676-17676.

Lee H S, Kang S G, Bae S S, Lim J K, Cho Y, Kim Y J, Jeon J H, Cha S-S, Kwon K K, Kim H-T et al.. 2008. The Complete Genome Sequence of Thermococcus Onnurineus NA1 Reveals a Mixed Heterotrophic and Carboxydotrophic Metabolism. Journal of BacteriologyJ. Bacteriol.. 190(22):7491-7499.

Colwell RR. 2008. Silent Sputnik. BioScience. 58(1):3-3.

Khondker M, Bhuiyan R A, Yeasmin J, Alam M, Sack BR, Huq A, Colwell RR. 2008. New records of phytoplankton for Bangladesh. 7. Phacus spp.. Bangladesh Journal of Botany. 37(1)