World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!

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Microbiology

D-Index
58
Citations
9734
World Ranking
3492
National Ranking
1379

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2016 - Alexander Fleming Award, Infectious Diseases Society of America
  • Member of the Association of American Physicians
  • Member of the Association of American Physicians
  • Member of the Association of American Physicians
  • Member of the Association of American Physicians

Overview

P. Frederick Sparling is affiliated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the United States. Their research primarily focuses on immunology and microbiology, with a significant concentration in bacterial infections and vaccines.

Their work spans several specialized subfields, including microbiology, cell biology, endocrinology, physiology, and molecular biology. Key research topics include bacterial infections and vaccines, reproductive tract infections, hemoglobin structure and function, infant nutrition and health, peptidase inhibition and analysis, adenosine and purinergic signaling, as well as inflammasome and immune disorders.

The scientist has frequently published their work in the venue UNC Libraries, with 26 publications, and has also contributed to the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

Recent papers authored or coauthored by Sparling include:

  • Neisseria gonorrhoeae Activates the Proteinase Cathepsin B to Mediate the Signaling Activities of the NLRP3 and ASC-Containing Inflammasome (2020, UNC Libraries)
  • Vaccines for Gonorrhea: Can We Rise to the Challenge? (2020, UNC Libraries)
  • Ferric Enterobactin Binding and Utilization by Neisseria gonorrhoeae (2020, UNC Libraries)
  • Gonococcal transferrin-binding protein 2 facilitates but is not essential for transferrin utilization (2021, UNC Libraries)
  • Identification and purification of a hemoglobin-binding outer membrane protein from Neisseria gonorrhoeae (2020, UNC Libraries)

Sparling often collaborates with a number of coauthors throughout their research career. Frequent collaborators include:

  • G D Biswas
  • Ching-Ju Chen
  • David W. Dyer
  • Cynthia Nau Cornelissen
  • Christopher Thomas

Among their recognized contributions, Sparling has received the Alexander Fleming Award from the Infectious Diseases Society of America in 2016 and holds membership in the Association of American Physicians.

Best Publications

  • Novel Treponema pallidum Serologic Tests: A Paradigm Shift in Syphilis Screening for the 21st Century

    Arlene C. Seña;Becky L. White;P. Frederick Sparling

  • The emerging threat of untreatable gonococcal infection.

    Gail A. Bolan;P. Frederick Sparling;Judith N. Wasserheit

  • Neisseria gonorrhoeae Activates the Proteinase Cathepsin B to Mediate the Signaling Activities of the NLRP3 and ASC-Containing Inflammasome

    Joseph A. Duncan;Xi Gao;Max Tze Han Huang;Brian P. O'Connor

  • Genetic Transformation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to Streptomycin Resistance

    Unknown

  • Iron piracy: acquisition of transferrin‐bound iron by bacterial pathogens

    Cynthia Nau Cornelissen;P. Frederick Sparling

  • The transferrin receptor expressed by gonococcal strain FA1090 is required for the experimental infection of human male volunteers

    Cynthia Nau Cornelissen;Meera Kelley;Marcia M. Hobbs;James E. Anderson

  • Ability of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Neisseria meningitidis, and commensal Neisseria species to obtain iron from transferrin and iron compounds

    Unknown

  • Gonococcal transferrin-binding protein 1 is required for transferrin utilization and is homologous to TonB-dependent outer membrane receptors

    Unknown

  • DNA transformation leads to pilin antigenic variation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

    H. Steven Seifert;H. Steven Seifert;Richard S. Ajioka;Christian Marchal;Christian Marchal;P. Frederick Sparling

  • Ferric enterobactin binding and utilization by Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

    Susan D B Biegel Carson;Philip E. Klebba;Salete M C Newton;P. Frederick Sparling

  • Gonococcal infection: a model of molecular pathogenesis.

    Britigan Be;Cohen Ms;Sparling Pf

  • Inheritance of low-level resistance to penicillin, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

    Unknown

  • Antibodies to N‐terminal peptides of gonococcal porin are bactericidal when gonococcal lipopolysaccharide is not sialylated

    Christopher Elkins;Nicholas H. Carbonetti;Victor A. Varela;Derek Stirewalt

  • Multiple antibiotic resistance due to a single mutation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

    Unknown

  • Genetic mapping of linked antibiotic resistance loci in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

    Felix A. Sarubbi;Eleanor Blackman;P. Frederick Sparling

  • Species status of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: evolutionary and epidemiological inferences from multilocus sequence typing

    Julia S. Bennett;Keith A. Jolley;P. Frederick Sparling;Nigel J. Saunders

  • Binding and surface exposure characteristics of the gonococcal transferrin receptor are dependent on both transferrin-binding proteins

    Unknown

  • Genetics of protein I of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: construction of hybrid porins

    N. H. Carbonetti;V. I. Simnad;H. S. Seifert;M. So

  • Opposing selective forces for expression of the gonococcal lactoferrin receptor.

    James E. Anderson;Marcia M. Hobbs;Gour D. Biswas;P. Frederick Sparling

  • Vaccines for gonorrhea: can we rise to the challenge?

    Weiyan Zhu;Ching Ju Chen;Christopher E. Thomas;James E. Anderson

  • Phase Variation of Hemoglobin Utilization in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

    Ching Ju Chen;Christopher Elkins;P. Frederick Sparling

  • Expression of the CopB outer membrane protein by Moraxella catarrhalis is regulated by iron and affects iron acquisition from transferrin and lactoferrin.

    C Aebi;B Stone;M Beucher;L D Cope

  • Phase and Antigenic Variation of Pili and Outer Membrane Protein II of Neisseria gonorrhoeae

    P. Frederick Sparling;P. Frederick Sparling;Janne G. Cannon;Janne G. Cannon;Magdalene So;Magdalene So

  • Longitudinal Evaluation of Serovar-specific Immunity to Neisseria gonorrhoeae

    Kimberley K. Fox;James C. Thomas;Debra H. Weiner;Rachael H. Davis

  • Cloning and functional characterization of Neisseria gonorrhoeae tonB, exbB and exbD genes

    Gour D. Biswas;James E. Anderson;P. Frederick Sparling

  • Phase variation of the gonococcal siderophore receptor FetA.

    Susan D. Biegel Carson;Barbara Stone;Margaret Beucher;Jennifer Fu

  • Bacterial Virulence and Pathogenesis: An Overview

    P. Frederick Sparling

  • Cloning and nucleotide sequence of frpC, a second gene from Neisseria meningitidis encoding a protein similar to RTX cytotoxins.

    Stuart A. Thompson;Lisa L. Wang;P. Frederick Sparling

Frequent Co-Authors

Myron S. Cohen
Myron S. Cohen University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
William M. Shafer
William M. Shafer Emory University
H. Steven Seifert
H. Steven Seifert Northwestern University
Ann E. Jerse
Ann E. Jerse Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Magdalene So
Magdalene So University of Arizona
William C. Miller
William C. Miller The Ohio State University
Robert E. Johnston
Robert E. Johnston University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Nancy L. Davis
Nancy L. Davis University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
King K. Holmes
King K. Holmes University of Washington
Jenny P.-Y. Ting
Jenny P.-Y. Ting University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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