Eric R. Lafontaine

Eric R. Lafontaine is a Professor in the Department of Infectious Diseases at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia. His research focuses on bacterial pathogenesis and the development of countermeasures against high-consequence infectious agents.

Dr. Lafontaine's research expertise includes:

• Bacterial pathogenesis
• Animal models of human disease
• Cell culture
• Disease modeling
• Immunology
• Infectious diseases
• Microbiology
• Pathogenesis
• Vaccinology
• Vector-borne diseases
• Virology
• Zoonotic diseases

His research program has two main components: (1) identifying and characterizing surface antigens expressed by pathogenic bacteria including Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei, and (2) developing animal models to study microbial pathogenesis and develop countermeasures against various infectious agents including Burkholderia species, Brucella, Moraxella catarrhalis, SARS-CoV-2, and influenza.

Dr. Lafontaine's recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on novel therapeutic approaches for viral infections, particularly using mRNA technology for treating influenza and SARS-CoV-2. His work spans multiple disciplines including microbiology, immunology, and vaccinology, with particular emphasis on high-consequence pathogens.

He is affiliated with the Center for Vaccines and Immunology and the Animal Health Research Center at the University of Georgia.