Bernhard Kaltenboeck
Professor - Pathobiology
College of Veterinary Medicine

Bernhard Kaltenboeck, a native of Austria, received his education at the Veterinary Medical University in Vienna. He practiced large animal veterinary medicine for 10 years before embarking on a scientific career. He began is doctorial studies in veterinary microbiology at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge under the guidance of Johannes Storz. He graduated with the LSU Distinguished Dissertation Award in 1991. After a three-year tenure at the Large Animal Clinic at the Veterinary Medical University in Vienna, he joined the Department of Pathobiology at Auburn University in 1994. His research focuses on diseases in humans and livestock caused by intracellular bacteria of the genus Chlamydia. He studies the pathogenesis of these diseases under the influence of host genetics, nutrition, and environment in mouse models, and also uses this approach to identify the protective chlamydial proteins among all chlamydial genes. He has successfully tested a therapeutic vaccine approach to treat mastitis, the infection of the mammary gland, and fertility disorders in dairy cows. In collaboration with industry, he is now assembling a subunit vaccine for this purpose. During his 14-year tenure at Auburn University, Kaltenboeck has received more than $4 million in extramural funding by the National Institute of Health, United States Department of Agriculture, private foundations, and industry, and has been the recipient of numerous awards for excellence in research.