Opportunistic Bacterial Pathogenesis Unit (OBPU)
Established in 2022
Michael S. Abers, M.D.
Chief, Opportunistic Bacterial Pathogenesis Unit
Assistant Clinical Investigator
Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.
Specialty(s): Infectious Disease, Internal Medicine Provides direct clinical care to patients at NIH Clinical Center
Major Areas of Research
- Inherited and acquired susceptibility to Nocardia infections (nocardiosis)
- Host defense mechanisms that protect against nocardiosis
- Development of host-directed therapies for Nocardia infection
Program Description
The Opportunistic Bacterial Pathogenesis Unit is interested in Nocardia infections. Our bench-to-bedside research program incorporates immunology, microbiology, genetics, and bioinformatics to investigate the pathogenesis of nocardiosis. A major goal of our research is to identify the key immunological mechanisms that control Nocardia. Insights from this work will inform future efforts to develop host-directed therapies for nocardiosis. Another area of interest is host- and pathogen-specific factors that determine patterns of dissemination and patient outcomes.
Biography
Education
M.D., 2014, Baylor College of Medicine
Dr. Abers received his B.A. summa cum laude from Northwestern University in 2010 and his M.D. with high honors from Baylor College of Medicine in 2014. As a medical student, he conducted clinical research under the mentorship of Daniel Musher. Dr. Abers completed his residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). As a resident, he served as a clinical teaching fellow at Harvard Medical School and conducted clinical research under the mentorship of Jatin Vyas and Michael Mansour. In 2017, Dr. Abers began his fellowship in infectious diseases at MGH and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. After completing the first year of clinical fellowship, he joined NIAID, where he began training in bench research in the Fungal Pathogenesis Section (FPS) under the mentorship of Michail Lionakis. His work at FPS focused on understanding the immune response to fungal infections. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, he was a member of the NIAID COVID Consortium, where his work focused on the immunopathogenesis of COVID-19. In 2022, Dr. Abers was recruited to the NIAID Transition Program in Clinical Research. He was appointed Assistant Clinical Investigator and Chief of the Opportunistic Bacterial Pathogenesis Unit. He also serves as an attending physician on the NIH Infectious Diseases consult service.
Selected Publications
- Abers MS, Delmonte OM, Ricotta EE, Fintzi J, Fink DL, de Jesus AAA, Zarember KA, Alehashemi S, Oikonomou V, Desai JV, Canna SW, Shakoory B, Dobbs K, Imberti L, Sottini A, Quiros-Roldan E, Castelli F, Rossi C, Brugnoni D, Biondi A, Bettini LR, D'Angio' M, Bonfanti P, Castagnoli R, Montagna D, Licari A, Marseglia GL, Gliniewicz EF, Shaw E, Kahle DE, Rastegar AT, Stack M, Myint-Hpu K, Levinson SL, DiNubile MJ, Chertow DW, Burbelo PD, Cohen JI, Calvo KR, Tsang JS; NIAID COVID-19 Consortium; Su HC, Gallin JI, Kuhns DB, Goldbach-Mansky R, Lionakis MS, Notarangelo LD. An immune-based biomarker signature is associated with mortality in COVID-19 patients. JCI Insight. 2021 Jan 11;6(1):e144455.
- Abers MS, Rosen LB, Delmonte OM, Shaw E, Bastard P, Imberti L, Quaresima V, Biondi A, Bonfanti P, Castagnoli R, Casanova JL, Su HC, Notarangelo LD, Holland SM, Lionakis MS. Neutralizing type-I interferon autoantibodies are associated with delayed viral clearance and intensive care unit admission in patients with COVID-19. Immunol Cell Biol. 2021 Oct;99(9):917-921.
- Musher DM, Abers MS, Corrales-Medina VF. Acute Infection and Myocardial Infarction. N Engl J Med. 2019 Jan 10;380(2):171-176.
- Ochoa S, Abers MS, Rosen LB, Rump A, Howe K, Lieberman JA, Wright BL, Suez D, Krausz M, Grimbacher B, Lionakis MS, Uzel G. Management and outcome of COVID-19 in CTLA-4 insufficiency. Blood Adv. 2023 Oct 10;7(19):5743-5751.
- Desai JV, Kumar D, Freiwald T, Chauss D, Johnson MD, Abers MS, Steinbrink JM, Perfect JR, Alexander B, Matzaraki V, Snarr BD, Zarakas MA, Oikonomou V, Silva LM, Shivarathri R, Beltran E, Demontel LN, Wang L, Lim JK, Launder D, Conti HR, Swamydas M, McClain MT, Moutsopoulos NM, Kazemian M, Netea MG, Kumar V, Köhl J, Kemper C, Afzali B, Lionakis MS. C5a-licensed phagocytes drive sterilizing immunity during systemic fungal infection. Cell. 2023 Jun 22;186(13):2802-2822.e22.