In collaboration with Valerie (Jody) Harwood at the University of South Florida, my laboratory has examined how abiotic and biotic conditions affect the persistence and abundance of zoonotic bacteria, including E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica.  We are now studying how abiotic and biotic conditions affect the persistence and abundance of vancomycin-resistant enterococci and the transfer of the vancomycin-resistance gene.

Sample Publications

Staley, Z.R., Harwood, V.J., Rohr, J.R. in press. A synthesis of the effects of pesticides on microbial persistence in aquatic ecosystems. Critical Reviews in Toxicology

Staley, Z.R., Senkbeil, J.K., Rohr, J.R., Harwood, V.J. 2014. Agrochemicals indirectly increase survival of E. coli O157:H7 and indicator bacteria in freshwater by reducing ecosystem services. Ecological Applications 24:1945-1953

Staley, Z.R., Senkbeil, J.K., Rohr, J.R., Harwood, V.J. 2012. Lack of direct effects of agrochemicals on zoonotic pathogens and fecal indicator bacteria. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 78: 8146-8150

Staley, Z., Rohr, J.R., Harwood, V.J. 2011. A test of direct and indirect effects of agrochemicals on the survival of fecal indicator bacteria. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 77: 8765-8774

Staley, Z., Rohr, J.R., Harwood, V.J. 2010. The effect of agrochemicals on indicator bacteria densities in outdoor mesocosms. Environmental Microbiology 12: 3150-3158

For a full list of publications, please see the Publications page on this website.