Craig Stephens

Craig M. Stephens

B.S. – Biology, Roanoke College
Ph.D. – Molecular Biology, University of Virginia
Postdoctoral research – Stanford University

My research is focused on genomic analysis of the acquisition and evolution of antibiotic resistance in commensal and pathogenic bacteria associated with humans, particularly E. coli. Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health problem, and understanding how potential pathogens acquire resistance is of biological, epidemiological, and medical significance.

2018 - 2021 - Principle Investigator, National Institutes of Health R15 grant: Exploring genomic diversity in commensal Escherichia coli.

2008 - 2013 - Principle Investigator, National Science Foundation RUI grant: Function of LacI-type transcription factors in Caulobacter crescentus.

• BIOL 1C  Systems
• BIOL 113  Microbiology (with lab)
• PHSC 1  Introduction to Public Health
• HNRS 20 Difficult Dialogs - Infectious Diseases and Society

Google Scholar

• C. Stephens, M. Martinez, V. Leonardi, J. Jaing, Anna Miller (2024). The Scr and Csc pathways for sucrose utilization co-exist in E. coli, but only the Scr pathway is widespread in other Enterobacteriaceae. Frontiers in Microbiology 15, 1409295.
  
  
• R. Robertson, K. Conrad, B. Ahuja, M. Göker, R. Hahnke, A. Spunde, N. Ivanova, R. Seshadri, C. Stephens (2023). Genome sequences of key bacterial symbionts of entomopathogenic nematodes: Xenorhabdus cabanillasii DSM17905, X. ehlersii DSM16337, X. japonica DSM16522, X. koppenhoeferii DSM18168, and X. mauleonii DSM17908. Microbiology Resource Announcements 12 (10): e00548-23.
  
  
• J. Lumpe, L. Gumbleton, A. Gorzalski, K. Libuit, V. Varghese, T. Lloyd, F. Tadros, T. Arsimendi, E. Wagner, C. Stephens, J. Sevinsky, D. Hess, M, Pandori (2022). GAMBIT (Genomic Approximation Method for Bacterial Identification and Tracking): A methodology to rapidly leverage whole genome sequencing of bacterial isolates for clinical identification. PLOS One 18 (2), e0277575.
  
  
• C. Stephens, T. Arismendi, M. Wright, A. Hartman, A. Gonzalez, M. Gill, M. Pandori, D. Hess (2020). F plasmids are the major carriers of antibiotic resistance genes in human-associated commensal E. coli. mSphere 5(4): e00709-20.
  
  
• C. Stephens, M. Wright, A. Hartman, A. Gonzales, G. Sensabaugh, P. Robinson, D. Hess (2020). Complete genome sequences of diverse uropathogenic Staphylococcus saprophyticus isolates from a college health center. Microbiology Resource Announcements 9(35): e00722-20.
  
  
• Kikuchi N, May M, Zweber M, Madamba J, Stephens C, Kim U, Mobed-Miremadi M. (2020). Sustainable, Alginate-Based Sensor for Detection of Escherichia coli in Human Breast Milk. Sensors 20(4):1145.
  
  
• C. Stephens, S. Adams-Sapper, M. Sekhon, J. Johnson, L. Riley (2017). Genomic analysis of factors associated with low prevalence of antibiotic resistance in extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli ST95 strains. mSphere 2(2): e00390-16.
  
  
• C. Stephens, P. Cho, V. de Araujo, I. Gomes, S. de Azevedo Sias, C. Cardoso, L. Riley, F. Aguiar-Alves (2015). Draft sequence of a community-associated methicillin-resistant PVL⁺ Staphylococcus aureus ST30 isolate from a pediatric lung infection in Brazil. Genome Announcements 3(4). pii: e00907-15.
  
  
• K. Ash, T. Brown, T. Watford, L. Scott, C. Stephens, and B. Ely (2014). A comparison of the Caulobacter NA1000 and K31 genomes reveals extensive genome rearrangements and differences in metabolic potential. Open Biology 4: 140128. (open access)
  
  
• A. Sheikh*, D. Caswell*, C. Dick*, S. Gang*, J. Jarrell*, A. Kohli*, A. Lieu*, J. Lumpe*, M. Garrett*, J. Parker* and C. Stephens (2013). Regulation of D-galacturonate metabolism in Caulobacter crescentus by HumR, a LacI-family transcriptional repressor. Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology, 4(10B): 63-74. (open access)
  
  
• C. Stephens, B. Christen, K. Watanabe*, T. Fuchs, and U. Jenal. (2008) Regulation of D-xylose metabolism in Caulobacter crescentus by a LacI-type repressor. Journal of Bacteriology 189: 8828-8834.
  
  
• C. Stephens, B. Christen, T. Fuchs, V. Sundaram*, K. Watanabe*, and U. Jenal. (2007) Genetic analysis of a novel pathway for D-xylose metabolism in Caulobacter crescentus. Journal of Bacteriology 89:2181-2185.