Header Logo

MICHAEL CURTIS

TitleAssistant Professor
InstitutionBaylor College of Medicine
DepartmentDepartment of Pediatrics
Address1102 BATES
vCardDownload vCard
    Other Positions
    TitleAssistant Professor
    InstitutionBaylor College of Medicine
    DepartmentDepartment of Molecular Virology & Microbiology
    DivisionMolecular Virology & Microbiology


    Collapse Biography 
    Collapse education and training
    North Central College, Naperville, ILBS05/2012Biology
    Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WIPhD05/2018Biomedical Sciences
    Collapse awards and honors
    2024 - 2025APS & SPR Journeys Program Participant

    Collapse Overview 
    Collapse overview
    My name is Michael Curtis, and I am Assistant Professor in the Vector Biology and Microbial Pathogenesis section of the Division of Tropical Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. As an Assistant Professor, my research is focused on investigating the molecular mechanisms leading to vector colonization, transmission, and pathogenesis of tick-borne spirochetes. I have a particular focus on establishing animal pregnancy models for tick-borne relapsing fever to elucidate mechanisms of transplacental transmission and perinatal death.

    Collapse Research 
    Collapse research activities and funding
         (Michael Curtis)Jun 5, 2025 - Jun 4, 2026
    Texas Children’s Hospital Pediatric Pilot Research Fund
    Development of a Murine Pregnancy Model to Study Mechanisms Leading to Perinatal Mortality Caused by Relapsing Fever Borrelia
    Role: PI
         (Peter Hotez)Nov 1, 2024 - Mar 31, 2026
    Lyda Hill Philanthropies
    Texas Virosphere Project
    Role: Co-Investigator
    2 T32 AI 55413-16 A1     (Thomas Giordano and Mary Estes)Aug 1, 2020 - Jun 30, 2022
    NIH
    Research Training in Infection and Immunity
    Role: T32 Postdoctoral Fellow

    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse selected publications
    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.
    Newest   |   Oldest   |   Most Cited   |   Most Discussed   |   Timeline   |   Field Summary   |   Plain Text
    PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
    1. Fishman JA, El Khoury J, Kawai T, Riella LV, Elias N, Williams W, Crisalli KA, Hashimoto D, Bercovici S, Lindner M, Noll N, Balasundaram G, Getchell K, Low S, Scales B, Chhangawala S, Marett A, Curtis M, Yeung V. Infectious disease surveillance and management in clinical xenotransplantation: Experience with the first human porcine kidney transplant. Am J Transplant. 2025 Jun 24. PMID: 40570964.
      Citations: 1     Fields:    
    2. Yeh RW, Bertrand OF, Mahmud E, Barbato E, Falah B, Issever MO, Redfors B, Popma A, Curtis M, van Royen N, Tanguay JF, Janssens L, Newman WN, Teeuwen K, Choi JW, Dirksen MT, Maehara A, Leon MB. Randomized Comparison of Novel?Low-Dose Sirolimus-Eluting Biodegradable Polymer Stent vs?Second-Generation DES: TARGET-IV NA Trial. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2025 Feb 18; 85(6):563-574. PMID: 39480379.
      Citations:    
    3. Curtis MW, Lopez JE. Tick-Borne Diseases and Pregnancy: A Narrative Review Evaluating Pregnancy Complications Caused by Tick-Borne Diseases. Trop Med Infect Dis. 2024 Oct 24; 9(11). PMID: 39591260; PMCID: PMC11598240.
      Citations:    
    4. Read E, Pe?a-Cearra A, Coman D, Jowett GM, Chung MWH, Coales I, Syntaka S, Finlay RE, Tach?-Pi?ot R, van Der Post S, Naizi U, Roberts LB, Hepworth MR, Curtis MA, Neves JF. Bi-directional signaling between the intestinal epithelium and type-3 innate lymphoid cells regulates secretory dynamics and interleukin-22. Mucosal Immunol. 2024 Feb; 17(1):1-12. PMID: 37952849; PMCID: PMC7615753.
      Citations:    
    5. V?zquez-Guerrero E, Gonz?lez-Quiroz JL, Dom?nguez-L?pez ML, Kneubehl AR, Krishnavajhala A, Curtis MW, Ponce-Mendoza A, Estrada-de Los Santos P, Lopez JE, Ibarra JA. New records of Ornithodoros turicata (Ixodida: Argasidae) in rural and urban sites in the Mexican states of Aguascalientes and Zacatecas indicate the potential for tick-borne relapsing fever. Exp Appl Acarol. 2023 Sep; 91(1):99-110. PMID: 37584844; PMCID: PMC11559448.
      Citations: 2     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    6. Jackson-Litteken CD, Curtis MW, Armstrong BA, Krishnavajhala A, Filatov S, Blevins JS, Lopez JE. Characterization of the arthropod associated lipoprotein (Alp) in the tick-mammalian transmission cycle of Borrelia turicatae. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2022 Nov; 13(6):102052. PMID: 36223678; PMCID: PMC10292778.
      Citations:    Fields:    
    7. Curtis MW, Fierros CH, Hahn BL, Surdel MC, Kessler J, Anderson PN, Vandewalle-Capo M, Bonde M, Zhu J, Bergstr?m S, Coburn J. Identification of amino acid domains of Borrelia burgdorferi P66 that are surface exposed and important for localization, oligomerization, and porin function of the protein. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2022; 12:991689. PMID: 36211976; PMCID: PMC9539438.
      Citations: 1     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    8. Curtis MW, Krishnavajhala A, Kneubehl AR, Embers ME, Gettings JR, Yabsley MJ, Lopez JE. Characterization of Immunological Responses to Borrelia Immunogenic Protein A (BipA), a Species-Specific Antigen for North American Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever. Microbiol Spectr. 2022 06 29; 10(3):e0172221. PMID: 35579456; PMCID: PMC9241729.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    9. Ellis L, Curtis MW, Gunter SM, Lopez JE. Relapsing Fever Infection Manifesting as Aseptic Meningitis, Texas, USA. Emerg Infect Dis. 2021 10; 27(10). PMID: 34546167; PMCID: PMC8462328.
      Citations: 1     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    10. Harney BL, Korchinski M, Young P, Scow M, Jack K, Linsley P, Bodkin C, Brothers TD, Curtis M, Higgs P, Mead TS, Hart A, Kilroy D, Bonn M, Bartlett SR. It is time for us all to embrace person-centred language for people in prison and people who were formerly in prison. Int J Drug Policy. 2022 01; 99:103455. PMID: 34560625.
      Citations:    
    11. Madej M, Nowakowska Z, Ksiazek M, Lasica AM, Mizgalska D, Nowak M, Jacula A, Bzowska M, Scavenius C, Enghild JJ, Aduse-Opoku J, Curtis MA, Gomis-R?th FX, Potempa J. PorZ, an Essential Component of the Type IX Secretion System of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Delivers Anionic Lipopolysaccharide to the PorU Sortase for Transpeptidase Processing of T9SS Cargo Proteins. mBio. 2021 02 23; 12(1). PMID: 33622730; PMCID: PMC8545088.
      Citations:    
    12. Embers ME, Krishnavajhala A, Armstrong BA, Curtis MW, Pahar B, Wilder HK, Allen MS, Beare PA, Hasenkampf NR, Lopez JE. Immunological Responses to the Relapsing Fever Spirochete Borrelia turicatae in Infected Rhesus Macaques: Implications for Pathogenesis and Diagnosis. Infect Immun. 2019 04; 87(4). PMID: 30642902; PMCID: PMC6434134.
      Citations: 2     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    13. Curtis MW, Hahn BL, Zhang K, Li C, Robinson RT, Coburn J. Characterization of Stress and Innate Immunity Resistance of Wild-Type and ?p66 Borrelia burgdorferi. Infect Immun. 2018 02; 86(2). PMID: 29158430; PMCID: PMC5778354.
      Citations: 6     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    14. Sanz M, Beighton D, Curtis MA, Cury JA, Dige I, Dommisch H, Ellwood R, Giacaman RA, Herrera D, Herzberg MC, K?n?nen E, Marsh PD, Meyle J, Mira A, Molina A, Mombelli A, Quirynen M, Reynolds EC, Shapira L, Zaura E. Role of microbial biofilms in the maintenance of oral health and in the development of dental caries and periodontal diseases. Consensus report of group 1 of the Joint EFP/ORCA workshop on the boundaries between caries and periodontal disease. J Clin Periodontol. 2017 03; 44 Suppl 18:S5-S11. PMID: 28266109.
      Citations:    
    15. Hahn BL, Padmore LJ, Ristow LC, Curtis MW, Coburn J. Live Attenuated Borrelia burgdorferi Targeted Mutants in an Infectious Strain Background Protect Mice from Challenge Infection. Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2016 08; 23(8):725-31. PMID: 27335385; PMCID: PMC4979176.
      Citations: 5     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    16. Xu Q, Shoji M, Shibata S, Naito M, Sato K, Elsliger MA, Grant JC, Axelrod HL, Chiu HJ, Farr CL, Jaroszewski L, Knuth MW, Deacon AM, Godzik A, Lesley SA, Curtis MA, Nakayama K, Wilson IA. A Distinct Type of Pilus from the Human Microbiome. Cell. 2016 Apr 21; 165(3):690-703. PMID: 27062925; PMCID: PMC4842110.
      Citations:    
    17. Ristow LC, Bonde M, Lin YP, Sato H, Curtis M, Wesley E, Hahn BL, Fang J, Wilcox DA, Leong JM, Bergström S, Coburn J, Bonde M, Bergstr?m S. Integrin binding by Borrelia burgdorferi P66 facilitates dissemination but is not required for infectivity. Cell Microbiol. 2015 Jul; 17(7):1021-36. PMID: 25604835; PMCID: PMC4478124.
      Citations:    
    18. Maekawa T, Krauss JL, Abe T, Jotwani R, Triantafilou M, Triantafilou K, Hashim A, Hoch S, Curtis MA, Nussbaum G, Lambris JD, Hajishengallis G. Porphyromonas gingivalis manipulates complement and TLR signaling to uncouple bacterial clearance from inflammation and promote dysbiosis. Cell Host Microbe. 2014 Jun 11; 15(6):768-78. PMID: 24922578; PMCID: PMC4071223.
      Citations:    
    19. Shoji M, Ratnayake DB, Shi Y, Kadowaki T, Yamamoto K, Yoshimura F, Akamine A, Curtis MA, Nakayama K. Construction and characterization of a nonpigmented mutant of Porphyromonas gingivalis: cell surface polysaccharide as an anchorage for gingipains. Microbiology (Reading). 2002 Apr; 148(Pt 4):1183-1191. PMID: 11932462.
      Citations: 51     Fields:    Translation:Cells
    CURTIS's Networks
    Click the
    Explore
    buttons for more information and interactive visualizations!
    Concepts (117)
    Explore
    _
    Co-Authors (5)
    Explore
    _
    Similar People (60)
    Explore
    _
    Same Department Expand Description
    Explore
    _