Rebecca Keogh

Contributions to Public Health

• Microbe-Host Interactions in Diabetic Wound Infections: My lab studies the Gram-positive bacterial species Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS) and Staphylococcus aureus in the context of diabetic wound infections. We investigate bacterial determinants that contribute to persistence in wound infections, as well as the host response to infection in diabetic individuals.
  • Joyce LR, Akbari MS, Nguyen DT, Spencer BL, McIver K, Horswill AR, Doran KS#, Keogh RA#. Global genome analysis identifies glycolipids and lipoteichoic acid alanylation as contributors to Group B streptococcal diabetic wound infection. Cell Reports. 2025 Nov 25. 44(11):116510.
  • Akbari MS*, Keogh RA*, Radin JN, Sanchez-Rosario Y, Johnson MDL, Horswill AR, Kehl-Fie TE, Burcham LR, and Doran KS. 2023. The impact of nutritional immunity on Group B streptococcal pathogenesis during wound infection. DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00304-23
• Bacterial Adaptation in Chronic Wounds: The diabetic wound microenvironment is very inflammatory, with high levels of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, as well as large numbers of immune cells present. Bacteria need to adapt to overcome this harsh environment to survive infection. We are interested in GBS evolution in the diabetic wound environment, and focus on identifying regulatory pathways and genetic modifications that support population survival. 
  • Keogh RA, Haeberle AH, Langouet-Astrie CJ, Kavanaugh JS, Schmidt EP, Moore GE, Horswill AR, Doran KS. Group B Streptococcus adaptation promotes hyper-inflammation in the diabetic wound environment. Science Advances. 2022. 8: eadd3221.
• Investigation of Bacterial Isolates from Clinical Infections: In collaboration with others at Pitt, my lab is interested in analyzing bacterial isolates recovered from human infection. We perform genotypic analyses, sequencing the DNA of these bacterial isolates to determine prominent strains that are circulating in infection. We also perform phenotypic analyses looking at how these isolates respond to antibiotics, form biofilm, and persist in wounds.
  • Keogh RA, Huyvaert SH, Moore GE, Horswill AR, Doran KS. Virulence characteristics of Gram-positive bacteria isolated from diabetic foot ulcer debridement tissue in Colorado. FEMS Microbes. 2024 May 6. 5:xtae013.