Gregory Pharr

Gregory Pharr is an Associate Professor at Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, with a focus on avian immunology and microbial pathogenesis. His research explores B lymphocyte development in chickens, host adaptation of respiratory mycoplasmas, and nutritional interventions for improving poultry health.

• Education: B.S. in Bacteriology (University of Arkansas, 1982)
• M.S. in Microbiology (University of Arkansas, 1986)
• Ph.D. in Animal Physiology (Mississippi State University, 1990)
• Postdoctoral training at USDA-ARS, University of Chicago, and MSU CVM

Over his career, Dr. Pharr has investigated:

• B-cell development in the bursa of Fabricius
• Transcriptomic regulation of avian immune responses
• Probiotic applications for poultry immunity
• Genomic diversity of poultry-associated pathogens
• Antigenic characterization of avian influenza viruses

His recent publications highlight three key research areas:

• 2023 BMC Microbiology study on E. coli genomic diversity and antimicrobial resistance
• 2020 Poultry Science series on probiotic interventions against Mycoplasma gallisepticum
• 2019 transcriptomic analysis of avian B-cell development

Dr. Pharr's work bridges molecular biology with practical poultry health applications, focusing on immune system modulation and pathogen characterization through both dietary interventions and genomic analyses.