Individual study of a selected problem for qualified students. By arrangement.

Individual study of a selected problem for qualified students. By arrangement.

Individual study of a selected problem for qualified students. By arrangement.

Individual study of a selected problem for qualified students. By arrangement.

Individual study of a selected problem for qualified students. By arrangement.

Individual study of a selected problem for qualified students. By arrangement.

Individual study of a selected problem for qualified students. By arrangement.

HIV rates in U.S. poverty areas rival those found in Haiti, Burundi, Ethiopia, and Angola. HIV prevalence in high-poverty neighborhoods is more than double that of the nation overall. Within high-poverty neighborhoods, prevalence among people living below the poverty line was double that of those living above it. Blacks disproportionately bear the brunt of the HIV epidemic in the US accounting for over 48% of all new cases of the disease while representing only 12% of the population.

The vast majority of Earth?s biodiversity is microbial. Microorganisms are directly involved in the ecosystem services on which all of life depends. They interact intimately with other organisms and yet we know much less about their biodiversity than we do for plants and animals. Our lack of understanding of the interactions and feedbacks of microbial biodiversity is troubling, given the high rates of environmental change that the Earth is currently experiencing, including man-made global climate change.

Drug resistance is a major problem that complicates the treatments of infectious diseases. It is a consequence of genetic changes in a microbe, and molecular mechanisms vary widely including mutations of target enzymes, increased expression of efflux pump, horizontal transfer of resistance gene, and induction of inactivating enzymes.