Jenifer Turco

Teaching Interests

• General Microbiology; Medical Microbiology
• Infectious Diseases and History
• Human Pathogens: Biology and History
• Virology
• General Biology
• Senior Seminar and Graduate Seminar in Biology
• Directed Study: Research in Microbiology

 Research Interests

• Interferons and Other Cytokines
• Macrophages and Endothelial Cells
• Rickettsia prowazekii and Other Pathogens
• Human and Animal Cell Culture
• Microbiology and Biology Education

 Selected Publications

1. Turco, J. 2022. Involvement of pore formation and osmotic lysis in the rapid killing of gamma interferon-pretreated C166 endothelial cells by Rickettsia prowazekii. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 7: 163. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed7080163
2. Vernon, K.H., and Turco. 2016.  Viability of Rickettsia prowazekii after rickettsia-mediated killing of gamma interferon-pretreated, macrophage-like RAW264.7 cells.  Georgia Journal of Science: Vol. 74: No. 2, Article 9.  Available at: http://digitalcommons.gaacademy.org/gjs/vol74/iss2/9
3. Woldman, Y.Y., T.D. Eubank, A.J. Mock, N.C. Stevens, S. Varadharaj, Turco, M.A. Gavrilin, B.R. Branchini, and V.V. Khramtsov. Detection of nitric oxide production in cell cultures by luciferin-luciferase chemiluminescence.  2015. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 465: 232-238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2015.08.001
4. Ingram, D.R., D.L. Miller, C.A. Baldwin, Turco, and J.M. Lockhart. 2015.  Serologic survey of wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) and evidence of exposure to avian encephalomyelitis virus in Georgia and Florida, USA.  Journal of Wildlife Diseases 51: 374-379. https://doi.org/10.7589/2013-07-169
5. Turco, J., and H. H. Winkler.   Gamma interferon, iron, and Rickettsia prowazekii.  In J. Hiscott (ed.),  Proceedings of the Seventh Joint Meeting of the International Cytokine Society and the International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research, October 12-16, 2008.  Medimond S.r.l., Bologna, Italy.
6. Lockhart, J.M., G. Lee, Turco, and L. Chamberlin. 2008. Salmonella from gopher tortoises (Turco, J., and J. A. Nienow. Enumeration and identification of selected bacteria in water samples from the Alapahoochee River system. Georgia J. Sci.  65: 126-142. http://digitalcommons.gaacademy.org/gjs/vol65/iss2/8

7. Turco, J.   Rickettsia prowazekii-infected, cultured human fibroblasts.  Microbe Library (American Society for Microbiology) [Online]. Available:

9. Turco, J., and M. Byrd. An interdisciplinary perspective: infectious diseases and history.  American Biology Teacher 63: 325-335.   https://doi.org/10.2307/4451119
10. Turco, J., H. Liu, S. F. Gottlieb, and H. H. Winkler. Nitric oxide-mediated inhibition of the ability of

11. Turco, J., and H. H. Winkler. 1997. Cytokines influencing infections by Rickettsia species, p. 29-52. In B. Anderson, H. Friedman, and M. Bendinelli (ed.), Rickettsial Infection and Immunity.  Plenum Publishing Corp., New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-46804-2_3
12. Turco, J., and H. H. Winkler. 1994. Cytokine sensitivity and methylation of lysine in Rickettsia prowazekii EVir and interferon-resistant Rickettsia prowazekii strains. Infect. Immun. 62: 3172-3177. https://doi.org/10.1128/iai.62.8.3172-3177.1994
13. Turco, J., and H. H. Winkler. 1994. Relationship of tumor necrosis factor alpha, the nitric oxide synthase pathway, and lipopolysaccharide to the killing of gamma interferon-treated macrophagelike RAW264.7 cells by

14. Turco, J., and H. H. Winkler. 1993. Role of the nitric oxide synthase pathway in the inhibition of growth of interferon-sensitive and interferon-resistant Rickettsia prowazekii strains in L929 cells treated with tumor necrosis factor alpha and gamma interferon. Infect. Immun. 61: 4317-4325. https://doi.org/10.1128/iai.61.10.4317-4325.1993
15. Winkler, H. H., L. C. Day, R. M. Daugherty, and J. Turco. 1993. Effect of gamma interferon on phospholipid hydrolysis and fatty acid incorporation in L929 cells infected with Rickettsia prowazekii. Infect. Immun. 61:3412-3415. https://doi.org/10.1128/iai.61.8.3412-3415.1993
16. Gao, Q., J. Turco, and H. H. Winkler. 1993. Synthesis of DNA, rRNA, and protein by Rickettsia prowazekii growing in untreated or gamma interferon-treated mouse L929 cells. Infect. Immun. 61:2383-2389. https://doi.org/10.1128/iai.61.6.2383-2389.1993
17. Turco, J., and H. H. Winkler. 1991. Comparison of properties of virulent, avirulent, and interferon-resistant Rickettsia prowazekii strains. Infect. Immun. 59:1647-1655. https://doi.org/10.1128/iai.59.5.1647-1655.1991