I am trained in pediatric infectious diseases and virology and have a particular interest in respiratory viruses and respiratory virus vaccines. At the Center for Immunization Research, we conduct a large number of phase I and II trials of respiratory virus vaccines in adults and children as young as one month of age. In our laboratory, we conduct studies to determine how the immune response to respiratory viruses matures over the life span, with a particular focus on the differences between very young infants and older children. We are also involved in studies of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) pathogenesis, to determine host and viral factors that may contribute to severe disease. Finally, we are also interested in the epidemiology of respiratory virus infections in resource-poor settings.

International Health, Disease Control - CIR, Vaccine development; respiratory viruses; influenza, RSV, parainfluenza, immunity.

Selected publications:

Karron RA, Wright PF, Newman FK, Makhene M, Thompson J, Samorodin R, Wilson MH, Anderson EA, Clements ML, Murphy BR, Belshe RB. A live human parainfluenza type 3 virus vaccine is attenuated and immunogenic in healthy infants and children. J Infect Dis 1995;172: 1445-50.

Clements ML, Makhene MK, Karron RA, Murphy BR, Steinhoff MC, Subbarao K, Wilson MH, the Pediatric Care Center, Wright PF. Effective immunization with live attenuated influenza A virus can be achieved in early infancy. J Infect Dis 1996;173:44-51.

Karron RA, Makhene M, Gay K, Wilson MH, Clements ML, Murphy BR. Evaluation of a live attenuated bovine parainfluenza type 3 vaccine in 2-to-6-month-old infants. Ped Infect Dis J 1996; 15: 650-4.

Karron RA, Wright PF, Crowe JE Jr, Clements ML, Thompson J, Makhene M, Casey R, Murphy BR. Evaluation of two live, cold-passaged, temperature-sensitive respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines in chimpanzees, adults, infants and children. J Infect Dis 1997;176:1428-37.

Karron RA, Buonagurio DA, Georgiu AF, Whitehead SS, Adamus JE, Clements-Mann ML, Harris DO, Randolph VB, Udem SA, Murphy BR, Sidhu MS. Respiratory syncytial virus SH and G proteins are not essential for viral replication in vitro: clinical evaluation and molecular characterization of a cold-passaged, attenuated RSV subgroup B mutant. Proc Natl Acad Sci 1997; 94:13961-66.

Singleton R, Karron RA, Kruse DG, Harrison LH, DeSmet IJ, Davidson NM, Petersen KM. RSV-associated hospitalizations in Alaska Native infants. Int J Circumpolar Health 1998;57 (Suppl) 1:255-9.

Whitehead SS, Firestone CY, Karron RA, Crowe JE, Elkins WR, Collins PL, Murphy BR. Addition of a missense mutation present in the L gene of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cpts 530/1030 to RSV vaccine candidate cpts 248/404 increases its attenuation and temperature sensitivity. J Virol 1999; 73(2):871-7.

Clements-Mann ML, Makhene MK, Mrukowicz J, Wright PF, Hoshino Y, Midthun K, Sperber E, Karron RA, Kapikian AZ. Safety and immunogenicity of live attenuated human-bovine (UK) reassortant rotavirus vaccines with VP7-specificity for serotypes 1, 2, 3 or 4 in adults, children, and infants. Vaccine 1999;17:2715-2725.

Karron RA, Singleton RJ, Bulkow L, Parkinson A, Kruse D, DeSmet I, Indorf C, Petersen KM, Leombruno D, Hurlburt D, Santosham M, Harrison LH, for the RSV Alaska Study Group. Severe respiratory syncytial virus disease in Alaska Native Children. J Infect Dis 1999;180 (1):41-9.

Gonzalez IM*, Karron RA, Eichelberger M, Walsh EE, Delagarza VW, Bennett R, Chanock RM, Murphy BR, Clements-Mann ML, Falsey AR. Evaluation of the live attenuated cpts248/404 RSV vaccine in combination with a subunit RSV vaccine (PFP-2) in healthy young and older adults. Vaccine 2000;18:1763-1722.

Wright PF, Karron RA, Belshe RB, Thompson J, Crowe JE Jr, Boyce TG, Halburnt LL, Reed GW, Whitehead SS, Anderson EA, Wittek AC, Casey R, Eichelberger M, Thumar B, Randolph VB, Udem S, Murphy BR. Evaluation of a live, cold-passaged, temperature-sensitive, respiratory syncytial virus vaccine in infancy. J Infect Dis 2000;182(5):1331-1342.

Harro CD, Pang YY, Roden RB, Hildensheim A, Wang Z, Reynolds MJ, Mast TC, Robinson R, Murphy B, Karron RA, Dillner J, Schiller JT, Lowy DR. Safety and immunogenicity trial in adult volunteers of a human papillomavirus 16 L1 virus-like particle vaccine. J Natl Cancer Inst 2001;93(4):284-92.

Durbin AP, Karron RA, Sun W, Vaughn DT, Reynolds MJ, Perreault JR, Men R, Lai C-J, Elkins WR, Chanock RM, Murphy BR, Whitehead SS. A live attenuated dengue virus type 4 vaccine candidate with a 30 nucleotide deletion in the 3' untranslated region is highly attenuated and immunogenic in humans. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2001;65:405-13.

Troyer JM, Hanley KA, Whitehead SS, Strickman D, Karron RA, Durbin AP, Murphy BR. A live attenuated dengue virus vaccine candidate with a 30 base pair deletion in its 3' untranslated region is restricted in replication in mosquitoes and is non-transmissible from vaccinees to mosquitoes. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2001;65:414-9.

Clements-Mann ML, Dudas R, Hoshino Y, Nehring R, Sperber E, Wagner M, Stephens I, Karron R, Deforest A, Kapikian AZ. Safety and immunogenicity of live attenuated quadrivalent human-bovine (U.K.) reassortant rotavirus vaccine administered with childhood vaccines to infants. Vaccine 2001;19:4676-84.

Eichelberger MC, Sperber E, Wagner M, Hoshino Y, Dudas R, Hodgins V, Marron J, Nehring P, Casey R, Burns B, Karron R, Clements-Mann ML, Kapikian AZ. Clinical evaluation of a single oral dose of human-bovine (UK) reassortant rotavirus vaccines Wa x UK (P1A[8],G6) and Wa x (DS-1 xUK) (P1A[8],G2). J Med Virol 2002;66(3):407-16.

Bulkow LR, Singleton RJ, Karron RA, Harrison LH. Risk Factors for Severe Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection Among Alaska Native Children. Pediatrics 2002;109(2):210-16

Jones LP, Zheng HQ, Karron RA, Peret TC, Tsou C, Anderson LJ. Multiplex assay for detection of strain-specific antibodies against the two variable regions of the G protein of respiratory syncytial virus. Clin Diagn Lab Immunol 2002;9(3):633-38.

Siberry GK*, Diener-West M, Schappell E, Karron RA. Comparison of temple temperatures to rectal temperatures in 0-24-month-old children. Clin Pediatr 2002;41:405-14.

Wright PF, Karron RA, Madhi SA, Treanor JJ, King JC, O’Shea A, Ikizler MR, Zhu Y, Collins PL, Cutland C, Randolph VB, Deatly AM, Hackell JG, Gruber WC, Murphy BR. The interferon antagonist NS2 protein of respiratory syncytial virus is an important virulence determinant for humans. J Infect Dis 2006 Feb 15;193(4):573-81.

Madhi SA, Cutland C, Zhu Y, Hackell JG, Newman F, Blackburn N, Murphy BR, Belshe RB, Karron RA, Deatly AM, Gruber WC, Bernstein DI, Wirght PF. Transmissibility, infectivity, and immunogenicity of a live human parainfluenza type 3 virus vaccine (HPIV3cp45) among susceptible infants and toddlers. Vaccine 2006 Mar 20;24(13):2432-9.

Polack FP, Irusta PM, Hoffman SJ, Schiatti MP, Melendi GA, Delgado MF, Laham FR, Thumar B, Hendry RM, Melero JA, Karron RA, Collins PL, Kleeberger SR. The cysteine-rich region of respiratory syncytial virus attachment protein inhibits innate immunity elicited by the virus and endotoxin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Jun 21;102(25):8996-9001.

Greenberg DP, Walker RE, Lee M-S, Reisinger KS, Ward JI, Yogev R, Blatter MM, Yeh SH, Karron RA, Sangli C, Coelingh KL, Cordova JM, August MJ, Mehta HB, Chen W, Mendelman PM. A bovine parainfluenza virus type 3 vaccine is safe and immunogenic in early infancy. J Infect Dis 2005;191(7):1116-1122.

Karron RA, Wright PF, Belshe RB, Thumar B, Casey R, Newman F, Polack FP, Randolph VB, Deatly A, Hackell J, Gruber W, Murphy BR, Collins PL. Identification of a recombinant live attenuated respiratory syncytial virus vaccine candidate that is highly attenuated in infants. J Infect Dis 2005(7):1116-1122.

Durbin AP, Whitehead SS, McArthur J, Perreault JR, Blaney Jr JE, Thumar B, Murphy BR, Karron RA. rDEN4 Delta 30, a live attenuated dengue virus type 4 vaccine candidate, is safe, immunogenic, and highly infectious in healthy adult volunteers. J Infect Dis 2005;191(5):710-718.

Harcourt JL, Karron RA, Tripp RA. Anti-G protein antibody responses to respiratory syncytial virus infection or vaccination are associated with inhibition of G protein CX3C-CX3CR1 binding and leukocyte chemotaxis. J Infect Dis 2004 Dec 1(11);190:1936-40.

Bockova J, O’Brien KL, Oski J, Croll J, Reid R, Weatherholz RC, Santosham M, Karron RA. Respiratory syncytial virus infection in Navajo and White Mountain Apache Children. Pediatrics 2002;110:e20.

Polack FP, Teng M, Kleeberger S, Hoffman SJ, Collins P, Wills-Karp M, Prince G, Karron RA. A role for immune complexes in enhanced respiratory syncytial virus disease. J Exp Med 2002;196:859-65.