Professor of Medicine, School of Medicine
Director, Southeast Regional Center of Excellence for Emerging Infections and Biodefense
Director, NC Sexually Transmitted Diseases Cooperative Research Center
Phone: (919) 843-8598
Fax: (919) 843-1015
Email: zman@med.unc.edu
8341b MBRB
CB# 7031,103 Mason Farm Rd.
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7031
Education
M.D., Harvard Medical School, 1962
Board Certifications
American Board of Internal Medicine, 1970
Subspecialty Boards of Infectious Disease, American Board of Internal Medicine, 1977
Clinical Interests
Infectious diseases, STDs, bacterial pathogenesis
Research Summary
Dr. Sparling is interested in microbial pathogenesis, specifically how gonococci and related bacteria modulate their cell surface to enable infection of humans. This includes production of iron-regulated bacterial receptors for binding human tranferrin and lactoferrin as well as hemoglobin. Using a variety of approaches including molecular genetics, biochemistry, immunology and both animal and human models of infection, the roles of particular bacterial outer membrane proteins in various stages of infection are being delineated. Other efforts are directed at translating knowledge of bacterial surface proteins into a vaccine for gonorrhea, using recombinant proteins, DNA vaccines and viral vectors as well as animal models. PUBLICATIONS
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Sparling Biosketch
