The University of Wisconsin-Madison has a wealth of laboratories studying microbial pathogens (bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses) and their interactions with their hosts (animal and plant cells or organisms and other microbial cells). Infectious disease is an inevitable part of human existence and currently is the leading cause of human death worldwide. Recently, this area has become increasingly important due to emerging and re-emerging infectious agents; the HIV / AIDS pandemic; other causes of immunocompromise such as therapy in cancer and transplant patients; opportunistic and nosocomial infections; the development of antibiotic resistance; the increasing incidence of food-borne illnesses; evidence for infectious disease contributions to important maladies such as cancer, gastric ulcers, atherosclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease; etc. UW-Madison is internationally recognized as a center for research and training in this area.

The Microbial Pathogenesis & Host Responses Group (MPHRG) consists of the laboratories of more than 50 UW-Madison faculty investigators from 17 departments, across 3 colleges. Regular meetings are held at which investigators discuss the latest in research findings and share ideas in an informal, collegial environment. These sessions are supplemented by MPHRG-hosted seminars presented by invited speakers from the top labs in the world.

The purposes of the Microbial Pathogenesis & Host Responses Group (MPHRG) are to:

• encourage interaction and collaboration among UW-Madison investigators;
• provide a venue for this interaction through the sponsorship and organization of regularly scheduled meetings and activities;
• establish and maintain a formal, identifiable presence on campus for this scientific community;
• facilitate the development of funding sources, such as training grants;
• promote the development of the field on campus by leading in cluster hire efforts or assisting in department or center based faculty search committees.

For more detailed descriptions of the various areas of research focus at the UW-Madison, the activities of the MPHRG, or the web pages of participating faculty, please follow the links below.