Patrick Secor

Patrick Secor is an Associate Professor in Microbiology & Cell Biology at Montana State University, affiliated with the Center for Biofilm Engineering. He holds a PhD (2011) and BS (2006) in Microbiology and Biochemistry from Montana State University. His research focuses on bacteriophages, host-pathogen interactions, and developing phage-based therapies for antibiotic-resistant infections. Key areas include Pf bacteriophage's role in Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence, Lyme disease spirochete phages, and phage-induced biofilm dynamics.

Research highlights include discovering phage impacts on quorum sensing, immune system interactions, and antibiotic resistance in cystic fibrosis patients. Notable publications examine Pf phage effects on bacterial aggregation, nematode interactions, and antiviral immune responses. Secor collaborates on vaccine development targeting filamentous phages and studies phage-driven antibiotic tolerance mechanisms. His work bridges basic microbiology with clinical applications in infectious disease treatment.

Recent projects explore prophage-induced transcriptome changes during tick transmission of Lyme pathogens and polyamine-mediated bacterial threat detection. He teaches microbial physiology courses (BIOM 450/451) and contributes to the VIBES bioinformatics workflow for viral genome analysis. His research underscores the sociobiology of phages and their role in bacterial community dynamics.