Luther Bartelt

Luther Bartelt, MD, DTM&H, FIDSA, serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine (Division of Infectious Diseases) and Department of Microbiology & Immunology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. A board-certified physician-scientist specializing in clinical Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, he directs translational research on intestinal pathogen-microbiome interactions with emphasis on immunocompromised patients and malnutrition contexts.

His seminal work establishes malnutrition-induced dysbiosis as a critical risk factor for protozoan infections independent of immunodeficiency, utilizing pioneering germ-free murine models to dissect Giardia-microbiota nutrient-metabolic perturbations underlying growth impairment. Current investigations expand to dietary deficiency impacts on colonization resistance against antimicrobial-resistant pathogens including Klebsiella pneumoniae and invasive E. coli, alongside microbiota-directed therapies and SARS-CoV-2 polyclonal antibody therapeutics development.

Scientific Awards:

• Pilot and Feasibility Award 2015 from Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Diseases

Dr. Bartelt mentors NIH T32 trainees in Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases while leveraging the UNC National Gnotobiotic Rodent Resource Center. His laboratory receives support through the Interdisciplinary Microbiome Research Program, Program on Antimicrobial Resistance, and UNC SARS-CoV-2 SeroNet Center.

He actively collaborates within the Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Diseases (CGIBD) research ecosystem alongside investigators Andermann, Carroll, Fodor, Gulati, Peery, Sandler, Sartor, and Ting, operating advanced gnotobiotic facilities to pioneer pathogen mono-association models and preclinical therapeutic validation.