Catherine Putonti

Catherine Putonti, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Loyola University Chicago's Stritch School of Medicine. Her research focuses on bacterial genomics, urinary tract infections, and the urobiome. She leads studies on bacterial strain diversity, phage therapy, and microbial pathogenesis in clinical contexts.

Research Interests: Her work centers on understanding the genomic and functional diversity of bacteria isolated from the urinary tract, including Lactobacillus species, Enterococcus, Klebsiella, and Staphylococcus. She investigates mechanisms of antibiotic resistance, bacterial motility, and phage interactions in urinary pathogens.

Recent Work Trends: Articles highlight genomic analysis of urinary isolates, phage therapy potential, and characterization of emerging uropathogens. Studies emphasize clinical relevance, such as catheter-associated infections and antibiotic-resistant strains.

Advising & Grants: While no student names are listed, her lab's projects suggest involvement in training researchers. Funding likely supports genomic sequencing and clinical microbiology studies.

Labs/Teams: Her group works within the urobiome research community, collaborating on genomic tools like virMine 2.0 and Dynamic Codon Biaser. Projects often involve clinical isolates from human and bovine samples.