Kayla Septer, a native Iowan studying public health at Virginia Tech (VT), is spending the summer studying ciprofloxacin-resistant Shigella at the State Hygienic Laboratory. Septer came to SHL to complete a practicum for her Master of Public Health at VT, making her the first student from an out-of-state university to do so.

“When I learned I had to complete a practicum for my program at VT, I knew SHL would be the perfect place where I could learn more about public health and infectious disease, and be close to family,” said Septer, whose family lives near Fairfield.

Septer first visited SHL with her mother, a biology teacher who occasionally brought students to the lab for tours. As an undergraduate at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, where she majored in biochemistry and molecular biology, Septer kept SHL’s student programs in mind as an opportunity to gain lab experience. After starting her master’s and learning about the practicum requirements at VT, she applied to complete her practicum at SHL, noting that, “My MPH will be in infectious disease, so this is right up my alley.”

Because Septer’s master’s concentration is infectious disease, focusing her practicum on Shigella – a group of bacteria that can cause diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps – was a natural fit. In May, she began working with the SHL microbiology team to examine Shigella isolates and determine whether they display resistance to ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic used to treat a variety of bacterial infections.

Studying cipro-resistant Shigella has important implications for public health because infections with resistant bacteria are difficult to identify and expensive to treat, which may lengthen the time someone is sick and increase the potential spread of the bacteria.

In April 2017, the CDC issued a health advisory about increasing numbers of Shigella isolates with resistance mechanisms, highlighting the importance of SHL’s work on the topic.

Reflecting on the opportunity to work on a public health issue in real time, Septer said, “In my classes, I’ve learned about all of these infectious diseases and we’ve touched on laboratory techniques, but here I’m really able to learn each laboratory technique and how everything is done.”

Septer first became interested in public health at Cornell College, where she took an immunology class that sparked her curiosity about the immune system and infectious disease.

In spring 2019, Septer plans to graduate from VT with her master’s and a certificate in international development and global planning. She is not sure where her career will lead, but has appreciated the opportunity to continue learning about infectious disease at SHL.

“This summer at the lab has definitely given me some direction because I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve been doing.”