Pathogen Surveillance
Marc Johnson Lab
Research Interests
The Marc Johnson’s lab’s main focus is development of next generations surveillance methods focused on air and water surveillance. For air, those methods are implementing air samplers in public locations and monitoring levels of known human pathogens. For water, the lab collects environmental and wastewater samples from across the country and performs high throughput sequencing the characterize the complete virile. The data from this project is used for monitoring both known and emerging pathogens.
Traditionally a molecular virology lab focused on retroviral replication, the lab transitioned into developing a wastewater surveillance system for the state of Missouri during the COVID pandemic. Currently, the lab focuses on developing and implementing advanced mechanisms for monitoring community health through wastewater.
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Marc Johnson
Principal Investigator, Bond LSC
Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
phone(573) 882-1519
email marcjohnson@missouri.edu
Marc Johnson is a professor of molecular microbiology and immunology (MMI). The Johnson lab studies viral metagenomics through air and water sampling. A primary focus of the lab is to work with public health to develop tools for monitoring the presence of new and emerging pathogens through wastewater surveillance. Through their wastewater surveillance work, the lab also studies ‘cryptic lineages’, which are evolutionarily advanced viral lineages from individual with very long persistent infections that are detected from wastewater. In addition to wastewater, the lab collects air and wastewater samples from diverse sources to establish a more complete picture of the complete virome on earth.
LAB MEMBERS
Research Topics
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Antiviral drug resistance
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Host-pathogen interactions
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RNA virus replication
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Tick-borne diseases
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Vaccine development
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Virus pathogenesis and transmission
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Wastewater-based viral surveillance
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Antiviral drug resistance
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Host-pathogen interactions
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RNA virus replication
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Tick-borne diseases
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Vaccine development
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Virus pathogenesis and transmission
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Wastewater-based viral surveillance
In the news
July 23, 2024
Scientist sees legacy in search for cryptic Covid-19 strain origin
By Sarah Rubinstein | Bond LSC Marc Johnson, a principal investigator at Bond LSC, works at his desk. | Photo by Braiden Wade When Marc Johnson set out to find the source behind the mysterious combinations of coronavirus mutations he found in wastewater, he had no idea this work could one day be his legacy. “If there’s anything in my career that’s ever cited in 100 years, it will be this study,” said Johnson, a principal investigator at Bond Life Sciences Center. The research details how scientists narrowed a search for a cryptic lineage of SARS-CoV-2, the virus…
Sep. 11, 2020
A Big Load: Using Wastewater to Test For COVID-19
Marc Johnson collecting pellets in his lab. | photo by Becca Wolf, Bond LSC By Becca Wolf | Bond LSC There is not much thought that goes into using the bathroom. You do your business, flush, and wash your hands. It is just a part of the daily routine. Recently though, human waste has become a golden nugget to researchers. In fact, waste from toilets throughout the community are contributing to figuring out where the next COVID-19 outbreak could happen. And Marc Johnson, Bond Life Sciences Center principal investigator and MU professor of molecular microbiology and immunology, is…
March 22, 2017
Marc Johnson #IAmScience
Marc Johnson, a virology professor at Bond LSC. | photo by Morgan McOlash, Bond LSC By Mary Jane Rogers | Bond LSC “#IAmScience because the mysteries of the natural world aren’t going to solve themselves.” Since the third grade, Marc Johnson never wanted to be anything else but a mad scientist. What began as experimenting with sprouting seeds and chemistry sets has blossomed into a career in virology. Specifically, he studies the “moves and countermoves” of viral components, a few hundred thousand at time! His advice for people wondering if science is for them: “If…