Afsar Ali,
Research Associate Professor
Department:
Department of Environmental and Global Health
Business Email:
aali@epi.ufl.edu
About Afsar Ali
Afsar Ali, Ph.D. was born and raised in Bangladesh where he obtained his BS in Soil Microbiology and MS in Microbiology with honors from University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Following his academic achievement, he joined in International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR, B), a world class research Institution in the world involving research on diarrheal pathogens.
In 1990, Dr. Ali was accepted as a graduate student with full scholarship in the Department of Microbiology in the University of Microbiology where he obtained MS in Enteric Microbiology. He then obtained his Ph.D. in molecular biology/biotechnology from Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Sciences (MEES) program from the same University. Later, He joined as an Instructor in the department of epidemiology in the school of Medicine in the University of Maryland at Baltimore where he was later promoted to Assistant Professor. On July 1, 2008, Dr. Ali moved to University of Florida where he has been working as a Research Associate Professor in the department of environmental and global Health in the School of Public Health and Health Professions (PHHP), and in Emerging Pathogens Institute (EPI).
Dr. Ali’s research work has resulted in many publications published in diverse peer reviewed journals, including Science, Nature Microbiology, mBIO, Emerging Infectious diseases (EID), Nature Scientific reports and ASM journals.
Teaching Profile
Courses Taught
2019-2020,2022-2024
PHC6947 Environmental and Global Health Capstone Experience
2011-2012,2015-2018,2017-2020
PHC6937 Special Topics in Public Health
2011,2013-2016,2016-2020,2019-2020
PHC6946 Public Health Internship
2011,2013-2016,2016-2020,2019-2020
PHC6601 Seminar in Contemporary Public Health Issues
2018-2019
PHC6313 Environmental Health Concepts in Public Health
2018
GMS7980 Research for Doctoral Dissertation
2013-2015,2018-2025,2023-2025
PHC7980 Research for Doctoral Dissertation
2014,2016
PHC6312 Water Quality and Human Health
2015
PHC6945 Public Health Practicum
2014
PHC6900 Environmental and Global Health Journal Club
2013
PHC6917 Supervised Research Project
2012,2022-2024
PHC7979 Advanced Research
2010
IDH4917 Undergrad Research
2021-2025
PHC6018 Environmental Ecology of Human Pathogens
2021
PHC6941 MPH Applied Practice Experience
2023
PHC6722 Environmental and Global Health Research Methods Rotation
2023-2025
PHC4309 Climate Change, the Environment, and the Future of Public Health
2024-2025
PHC6940 Master of Public Health Capstone
Research Profile
Dr. Ali’s research is focused in microbiology and epidemiology. His current research goals include determining the role of cholera biofilm in the microorganism’s persistence and evolution in aquatic reservoirs, studying cholera and other diarrheal pathogens, identifying environmental drives promoting cholera’s evolution and cholera transmission in humans, perform environmental and clinical surveillance in cholera endemic countries to understand the dynamics of cholera transmission as it relates to spatial and temporal manner. In his lab, he employs a variety of state-of-the-art microbiological, molecular, genetic, physiologic and advanced microscopic analyses to achieve the above goals.
Publications
Academic Articles
2024
Reply to Halpern, “Chironomid association with Vibrio cholerae”.
Microbiology spectrum.
12(1)
[DOI] 10.1128/spectrum.02891-23.
[PMID] 38059591.
2024
Using spatial video and deep learning for automated mapping of ground-level context in relief camps.
International journal of health geographics.
23(1)
[DOI] 10.1186/s12942-024-00382-7.
[PMID] 39501276.
2023
Ancestral Origin and Dissemination Dynamics of Reemerging Toxigenic Vibrio cholerae, Haiti.
Emerging infectious diseases.
29(10):2072-2082
[DOI] 10.3201/eid2910.230554.
[PMID] 37735743.
2023
Molecular Basis of the Toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 Serotype Switch from Ogawa to Inaba in Haiti.
Microbiology spectrum.
11(1)
[DOI] 10.1128/spectrum.03624-22.
[PMID] 36537825.
2023
Seafood-Associated Outbreak of ctx-Negative Vibrio mimicus Causing Cholera-Like Illness, Florida, USA.
Emerging infectious diseases.
29(10):2141-2144
[DOI] 10.3201/eid2910.230486.
[PMID] 37735754.
2023
Vibrio cholerae Invasion Dynamics of the Chironomid Host Are Strongly Influenced by Aquatic Cell Density and Can Vary by Strain.
Microbiology spectrum.
11(3)
[DOI] 10.1128/spectrum.02652-22.
[PMID] 37074192.
2022
Development of a Monoclonal Antibody to a Vibriophage as a Proxy for Vibrio cholerae Detection.
Infection and immunity.
90(8)
[DOI] 10.1128/iai.00161-22.
[PMID] 35862704.
2022
Emergence and Evolutionary Response of Vibrio cholerae to Novel Bacteriophage, Democratic Republic of the Congo1.
Emerging infectious diseases.
28(12):2482-2490
[DOI] 10.3201/eid2812.220572.
[PMID] 36417939.
2022
Spatial Video and EpiExplorer: A Field Strategy to Contextualize Enteric Disease Risk in Slum Environments.
International journal of environmental research and public health.
19(15)
[DOI] 10.3390/ijerph19158902.
[PMID] 35897275.
2022
The Use of Spatial Video to Map Dynamic and Challenging Environments: A Case Study of Cholera Risk in the Mujoga Relief Camp, D.R.C.
Tropical medicine and infectious disease.
7(10)
[DOI] 10.3390/tropicalmed7100257.
[PMID] 36287998.
2021
Author Correction: Vibrio spp. infections.
Nature reviews. Disease primers.
7(1)
[DOI] 10.1038/s41572-021-00250-9.
[PMID] 33608543.
2021
Exploring convolutional neural networks and spatial video for on-the-ground mapping in informal settlements.
International journal of health geographics.
20(1)
[DOI] 10.1186/s12942-021-00259-z.
[PMID] 33494756.
2021
Thiol-based functional mimicry of phosphorylation of the two-component system response regulator ArcA promotes pathogenesis in enteric pathogens.
Cell reports.
37(12)
[DOI] 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110147.
[PMID] 34936880.
2020
Characterization of the Vibriocidal Activity of Chitosan Microparticles: A Potential Therapeutic Agent for Emerging Multidrug-Resistant Cholera Infections.
ACS applied materials & interfaces.
12(42):47278-47288
[DOI] 10.1021/acsami.0c14313.
[PMID] 32990431.
2020
Draft Genome Sequence of an Environmental Vibrio cholerae Strain, 2012Env-25, Obtained Using Nanopore Sequencing Technology.
Microbiology resource announcements.
9(32)
[DOI] 10.1128/MRA.00625-20.
[PMID] 32763930.
2020
Toxigenic Vibrio cholerae evolution and establishment of reservoirs in aquatic ecosystems.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
117(14):7897-7904
[DOI] 10.1073/pnas.1918763117.
[PMID] 32229557.
2019
Conversion of a recA-Mediated Non-toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 Strain to a Toxigenic Strain Using Chitin-Induced Transformation.
Frontiers in microbiology.
10
[DOI] 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02562.
[PMID] 31787954.
2019
Micro-Space Complexity and Context in the Space-Time Variation in Enteric Disease Risk for Three Informal Settlements of Port au Prince, Haiti.
International journal of environmental research and public health.
16(5)
[DOI] 10.3390/ijerph16050807.
[PMID] 30841596.
2018
Activation of Vibrio cholerae quorum sensing promotes survival of an arthropod host.
Nature microbiology.
3(2):243-252
[DOI] 10.1038/s41564-017-0065-7.
[PMID] 29180725.
2018
Vibrio cholerae motility exerts drag force to impede attack by the bacterial predator Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus.
Nature communications.
9(1)
[DOI] 10.1038/s41467-018-07245-3.
[PMID] 30420597.
2018
Vibrio cholerae Outer Membrane Vesicles Inhibit Bacteriophage Infection.
Journal of bacteriology.
200(15)
[DOI] 10.1128/JB.00792-17.
[PMID] 29661863.
2018
Vibrio spp. infections.
Nature reviews. Disease primers.
4(1)
[DOI] 10.1038/s41572-018-0005-8.
[PMID] 30002421.
2017
Mutation in flrA and mshA Genes of Vibrio cholerae Inversely Involved in vps-Independent Biofilm Driving Bacterium Toward Nutrients in Lake Water.
Frontiers in microbiology.
8
[DOI] 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01770.
[PMID] 28959249.
2016
Adjusting for unmeasured confounding due to either of two crossed factors with a logistic regression model.
Statistics in medicine.
35(18):3179-88
[DOI] 10.1002/sim.6916.
[PMID] 26892025.
2016
Correction: Cholera Transmission in Ouest Department of Haiti: Dynamic Modeling and the Future of the Epidemic.
PLoS neglected tropical diseases.
10(1)
[DOI] 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004377.
[PMID] 26736014.
2016
Genetic Studies of Vibrio cholerae in South West Cameroon-A Phylogenetic Analysis of Isolates from the 2010-2011 Epidemic.
PLoS currents.
8
[DOI] 10.1371/currents.outbreaks.13b4e5e36a5c0831a1663fbdb5713fe9.
[PMID] 27617169.
2016
Major Shift of Toxigenic V. cholerae O1 from Ogawa to Inaba Serotype Isolated from Clinical and Environmental Samples in Haiti.
PLoS neglected tropical diseases.
10(10)
[DOI] 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005045.
[PMID] 27716803.
2016
Mapping to Support Fine Scale Epidemiological Cholera Investigations: A Case Study of Spatial Video in Haiti.
International journal of environmental research and public health.
13(2)
[DOI] 10.3390/ijerph13020187.
[PMID] 26848672.
2016
Non-toxigenic environmental Vibrio cholerae O1 strain from Haiti provides evidence of pre-pandemic cholera in Hispaniola.
Scientific reports.
6
[DOI] 10.1038/srep36115.
[PMID] 27786291.
2015
Cholera Transmission in Ouest Department of Haiti: Dynamic Modeling and the Future of the Epidemic.
PLoS neglected tropical diseases.
9(10)
[DOI] 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004153.
[PMID] 26488620.
2015
Increased isolation frequency of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 from environmental monitoring sites in Haiti.
PloS one.
10(4)
[DOI] 10.1371/journal.pone.0124098.
[PMID] 25853552.
2015
Spectrum of outpatient illness in a school-based cohort in Haiti, with a focus on diarrheal pathogens.
The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene.
92(4):752-757
[DOI] 10.4269/ajtmh.14-0059.
[PMID] 25732684.
2015
Stx-Producing Shigella Species From Patients in Haiti: An Emerging Pathogen With the Potential for Global Spread.
Open forum infectious diseases.
2(4)
[DOI] 10.1093/ofid/ofv134.
[PMID] 26484357.
2014
Feasibility of the hydrogen sulfide test for the assessment of drinking water quality in post-earthquake Haiti.
Environmental monitoring and assessment.
186(12):8509-16
[DOI] 10.1007/s10661-014-4020-2.
[PMID] 25182685.
2014
High-frequency rugose exopolysaccharide production by Vibrio cholerae strains isolated in Haiti.
PloS one.
9(11)
[DOI] 10.1371/journal.pone.0112853.
[PMID] 25390633.
2014
Household-level spatiotemporal patterns of incidence of cholera, Haiti, 2011.
Emerging infectious diseases.
20(9):1516-9
[DOI] 10.3201/eid2009.131882.
[PMID] 25148590.
2014
Monitoring water sources for environmental reservoirs of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1, Haiti.
Emerging infectious diseases.
20(3):356-63
[DOI] 10.3201/eid2003.131293.
[PMID] 24571741.
2014
Phylodynamic analysis of clinical and environmental Vibrio cholerae isolates from Haiti reveals diversification driven by positive selection.
mBio.
5(6)
[DOI] 10.1128/mBio.01824-14.
[PMID] 25538191.
2014
Vibrio cholerae persisted in microcosm for 700 days inhibits motility but promotes biofilm formation in nutrient-poor lake water microcosms.
PloS one.
9(3)
[DOI] 10.1371/journal.pone.0092883.
[PMID] 24667909.
2014
Water-related infrastructure in a region of post-earthquake Haiti: high levels of fecal contamination and need for ongoing monitoring.
The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene.
91(4):790-797
[DOI] 10.4269/ajtmh.14-0165.
[PMID] 25071005.
2012
Survival of Vibrio cholerae in nutrient-poor environments is associated with a novel “persister” phenotype.
PloS one.
7(9)
[DOI] 10.1371/journal.pone.0045187.
[PMID] 23028836.
2011
Recent clonal origin of cholera in Haiti.
Emerging infectious diseases.
17(4):699-701
[DOI] 10.3201/eid1704.101973.
[PMID] 21470464.
2010
Genetic characterization of Vibrio vulnificus strains from tilapia aquaculture in Bangladesh.
Applied and environmental microbiology.
76(14):4890-5
[DOI] 10.1128/AEM.00636-10.
[PMID] 20495047.
2009
RNA colony blot hybridization method for enumeration of culturable Vibrio cholerae and Vibrio mimicus bacteria.
Applied and environmental microbiology.
75(17):5439-44
[DOI] 10.1128/AEM.02007-08.
[PMID] 19561182.
2007
The capsule polysaccharide structure and biogenesis for non-O1 Vibrio cholerae NRT36S: genes are embedded in the LPS region.
BMC microbiology.
7
[PMID] 17362509.
2006
Genome sequence of Aeromonas hydrophila ATCC 7966T: jack of all trades.
Journal of bacteriology.
188(23):8272-82
[PMID] 16980456.
2006
Toxigenic Vibrio cholerae in the aquatic environment of Mathbaria, Bangladesh.
Applied and environmental microbiology.
72(4):2849-55
[PMID] 16597991.
2005
Critical factors influencing the occurrence of Vibrio cholerae in the environment of Bangladesh.
Applied and environmental microbiology.
71(8):4645-54
[PMID] 16085859.
2005
Sugars inhibit expression of the rugose phenotype of Vibrio cholerae.
Journal of clinical microbiology.
43(3):1426-9
[PMID] 15750123.
2004
Role of exopolysaccharide, the rugose phenotype and VpsR in the pathogenesis of epidemic Vibrio cholerae.
FEMS microbiology letters.
230(1):105-13
[PMID] 14734172.
2003
A 4-year study of the epidemiology of Vibrio cholerae in four rural areas of Bangladesh.
The Journal of infectious diseases.
187(1):96-101
[PMID] 12508151.
2003
Identification of genes involved in the switch between the smooth and rugose phenotypes of Vibrio cholerae.
FEMS microbiology letters.
227(1):113-9
[PMID] 14568156.
2002
High-frequency rugose exopolysaccharide production by Vibrio cholerae.
Applied and environmental microbiology.
68(11):5773-8
[PMID] 12406780.
Grants
May 2024
ACTIVE
Recurrence of Cholera in Haiti: Exploration of Contributing Factors and Intervention Strategies
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIAID
Apr 2019
ACTIVE
Cholera in Goma, DRC
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIAID
May 2018
– Apr 2022
Estimating Cholera Burden with Cross-sectional Immunologic Data
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding: UNIV OF UTAH
via NATL INST OF HLTH NIAID
Dec 2016
– Nov 2023
Cholera persistence, transmission, and clinical illness in Haiti
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIAID
Jul 2016
– Jun 2022
Cholera transmission and evolution in Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIAID
Apr 2016
– Mar 2022
ROS responses during Vibrio cholerae infection
Role: Project Manager
Funding: UNIV OF PENNSYLVANIA
via NATL INST OF HLTH NIAID
Dec 2011
– Jun 2016
Cholera Transmission in Gressier Region, Haiti
Role: Project Manager
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIAID
Jun 2010
– May 2017
Epidemiology and Ecology of Vibrio cholerae in Bangladesh
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
via NATL INST OF HLTH
Education
Doctor of Philosophy in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
1998
·
University of Maryland
Master of Science in Clinical Microbiology
1993
·
University of Maryland
Master of Science in Microbiology
1985
·
University of Dhaka
Bachelor of Science in Soil Microbiology
1983
·
University of Dhaka
Contact Details
Emails:
- Business:
- aali@epi.ufl.edu
Addresses:
- Business Mailing:
-
PO Box 100009
GAINESVILLE FL 32610