Christopher Kitts

Research Interests

• Biodegradation
• Microbial Ecology of Intestines
• Microbial Ecology in Bioremediation
• Spore Forming Bacteria in Milk Powder

Education:

B.Sc., Cellular Biology / Physics, University of Auckland, New Zealand, 1984
Ph.D., Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1992
Post Doctoral Fellowship, Los Alamos National Laboratory, 1992-1995

Professional Appointments:

Professor, Microbiology, California Polytechnic
University, San Luis Obispo, 2000-Present

Assistant Professor, Microbiology, California Polytechnic
University, San Luis Obispo, 1995-2000

Associate Director, Environmental Biotechnology Institute,
California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, 1996-present

Post Doctoral Fellowship, Los Alamos National Laboratory,
Los Alamos, New Mexico, 1992-1995

Research Projects:

• Environmental Biotechnology Institute
• Finger Printing of Bacterial Communities
• Endosporeformers in Milk Powder
• Biodegradation of Petroleum Hydrocarbons
• Tracking E. coliContamination in Morro Bay

Publicatons:

C. L. Kitts. (2001). Terminal Restriction Fragment Patterns - a Tool for Comparing Microbial Communities and Assessing Community Dynamics. Curr. Iss. Int. Microbiol. 2:17-25

C. W. Kaplan, J. C. Astaire, M. E. Sanders, B. S. Reddy and C. L. Kitts. (2001). 16S rDNA Terminal Restriction Fragment Pattern Analysis of Bacterial Communities in the Feces of Rats fed Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67:1935-39

C. L. Kitts, C. E. Green, R. A. Otley, M. A. Alvarez and P. J. Unkefer. 2000. A type I nitroreductase activity is responsible for nitroreduction of TNT (2,4,6-trinitrotoluene) and RDX (hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine) in two soil enterobacteria. Can. J. Microbiol. 46(3):278-282.

B. G. Clement and C. L. Kitts. 2000. Isolating PCR-Quality DNA from Human Feces with a Soil DNA Kit. Biotechniques. 28(4):640-646

C. L. Greenblatt, A. Davis, B. G. Clement, C. L. Kitts, T. Cox and R. J. Cano. 1999. Diversity of Microorganisms Isolated from Amber. Microb. Ecol. 38:58-68.

B. G. Clement, L. E. Kehl, K. L. DeBord and C. L. Kitts. 1998. Terminal Restriction Fragment Patterns (TRFPs), a rapid, PCR-based method for the comparison of complex bacterial communities. J. Microbiol. Methods 31:135-142

D. M. Young, C. L. Kitts, P. J. Unkefer, and K. L. Ogden. 1997. Biological breakdown of RDX in slurry reactors proceeds with multiple kinetically distinguishable paths. Biotech. Bioeng. 56:258-267.

P. A. Kaminski, C. L. Kitts, Z. Zimmerman, and R. A. Ludwig. 1996. Azorhizobium caulinodans uses both Cytochrome bd (Quinol) and Cytochrome cbb3 (Cytochrome c) terminal oxidases for symbiotic N2 fixation. J. Bacteriol. 178:5989-5994

M. A. Alvarez, C. L. Kitts and P. J. Unkefer. 1995. Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain MA01 aerobically metabolizes the aminodinitrotoluene products of TNT nitro-group reduction. Can. J. Microbiol. 41:984-91.

C. L. Kitts, D. P. Cunningham and P. J. Unkefer. 1994. Isolation of three RDX degrading Enterobacteriaceae from nitramine explosive-contaminated soil. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60:4608-11

C. L. Kitts and R. A. Ludwig. 1994. Azorhizobium caulinodans utilizes at least four terminal oxidases during free-living growth. J. Bacteriol. 176:886-95

C. L. Kitts, J. P. Lapointe, V. T. Lam and R. A. Ludwig. 1992. Elucidation of the complete Azorhizobium caulinodans nicotinate catabolic pathway. J. Bacteriol. 174:7791-7

C. L. Kitts, L. E. Schaechter, R. S. Rabin and R. A. Ludwig. 1989. Identification of cyclic intermediates in Azorhizobium caulinodans nicotinate metabolism. J. Bacteriol. 171:3406-11

Presentations:

N. A. Marsh, A. Magruder, C. L. Kitts. 2000. Isolation and Characterization of Anaerobic Hydrocarbon Degrading Bacteria from Sand Dunes. American Society of Microbiology, Los Angeles, CA. Poster Presentation

M. M. Shove, G. A. Lorente and C. L. Kitts. 2000. Molecular Methods for Tracking the Origins of Environmental Strains of Escherichia coli. American Society of Microbiology, Los Angeles, CA. Poster Presentation

G. A. Lorente, A. M. Smith and C. L. Kitts. 2000. Phospholipid fatty Acid Profiles Showing Temporal shifts in Microbial Populations During Bioremediation of Petroleum Contaminated Soils. American Society of Microbiology, Los Angeles, CA. Poster Presentation

K. N. Smith and C. L. Kitts. 2000. Diversity of alkB Homologues in a Microbial Community During Bioremediation of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons. American Society of Microbiology, Los Angeles, CA. Poster Presentation

C. W. Kaplan, P. Shank, L. Martinez, C. Reimers, C. L. Kitts, and S. L. Elrod. 2000. Fungal Community Analysis of a Petroleum-Degradation Land Treatment Unit Using Terminal Restriction Fragment Patterns. American Society of Microbiology, Los Angeles, CA. Poster Presentation

M. Demarest, M. A. Moline, C. Kitts and A. Schaffner. 2000. Marine prokaryote diversity and spatial scale of community heterogeneity across surface waters of the Pacific Ocean. American Society for Limnology and Oceanography. Copenhagen, Denmark, Poster Presentation

C.L. Kitts. 1999. 16S rDNA TRF patterns, a DNA-based method to describe bacterial communities: applications to definition of probiotic function. J. Dairy Sci. 82:6, abstract #D98 Invited Talk.

C.L. Kitts. 1999. Molecular Studies of Microbial Community Dynamics. San Franscisco State University Colloquium on Genomics. Invited Talk.

A. Bienvenue, M. Pitesky, C. Kitts, R. Jimenez-Flores. 1999. Terminal Restriction Fragment Patterns of the Microbial Community Present During California Milk Powder Production. International Dairy Federation, World Meeting on Dry Milk. Malaysia, Poster Presentation

P.S. Yeung, C.L. Kitts, R. Cano, P.S. Tong and M.E. Sanders. 1999. Gene-based Techniques for Species and Strain Relatedness of Commercial Probiotic Strains. Institute of Food Technology, Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL. Poster Presentation

M. Pitesky, C. Kitts, R. Jimenez-Flores. 1999. Development of a Direct PCR Assay for the Detection of the Most Commonly Isolated Bacilli Spore-Formers Identified in Milk Powder Produced in California. Institute of Food Technology, Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL. Poster Presentation

A. Hamrick, M. Dawson, S. Porter, B. Bazzini, R. Short, E. Riffel, R.L. Pease, S. Elrod, and C.L. Kitts 1999. Microbial Community Analysis of Petroleum Contaminated Sand in a Bioremediation Land Treatment Unit on the California Central Coast. 99th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Chigaco, IL. Poster Presentation.

M.M. McCoy, L.S. Shimomura, K.L. DeBord, T. Cox, S. Kang, C.L. Kitts, R.J. Cano 1999. Novel Alpha-Proteobacteria From Petroleum Contaminated Coastal Sand Dunes. 99th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Chigaco, IL. Poster Presentation.

M. Braid, L.M. Nicholas, B. G. Clement, R. Venugopal, M. Brulaski, and C. L. Kitts. 1999. Testing the Ultra-Cleanô Soil DNA Purification Kit on a Diverse Range of Soils by PCR amplification of 16S rDNA. . 99th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Chigaco, IL. Poster Presentation.

N.A. Marsh, A. Magruder, and C.L. Kitts. 1999. Isolation and Characterization of Anaerobic Hydrocarbon Degrading Bacteria from Guadalupe, CA. . 99th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Chigaco, IL. Poster Presentation.

L.M. Nicholas, C.W. Kaplan, B.G. Clement, A.A. Schaffner, C.L. Kitts. 1999. Resolving Spatial, Temporal, and Petroleum-based Differences in Bacterial Communities by Terminal Restriction Fragment Pattern (TRFP) Analysis. . 99th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Chigaco, IL. Poster Presentation.

L. J. Kehl, B. G. Clement, A. A. Schaffner, and C. L. Kitts. 1998. Reproducibility and Discriminatory Power of 16S rDNA Terminal Restriction Fragment Pattern Analysis of Bacterial Community Diversity. 8th International Symposium for Microbial Ecology, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Canada. Poster Presentation.

B. G. Clement, L. M. Nicholas and C. L. Kitts. 1998. PCR primer selection for Microbial Community Analysis by 16S rDNA Terminal Restriction Fragment Patterns. 8th International Symposium for Microbial Ecology, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Canada. Poster Presentation.

E. Y. Bellenson, R. Jiménez-Flores, and C. L. Kitts. 1998. A comparison of phenotypic and genotypic patterning methods for characterizing Bacillus Spp. isolated from milk powder. 98th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Atlanta, GA. Poster Presentation.

A. Davis, T. Cox, M. McCoy, L. Saunders, L. Shimomura, C. Kitts and R. Cano. 1998. Diversity of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Degrading Bacteria of Coastal Sand Dunes. 98th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Atlanta, GA. Poster Presentation.

B. G. Clement and C. L. Kitts. 1997. Genetic diversity of microbial populations in Odocoileus hemionus feces. 97th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Miami Beach, FL. Poster Presentation.

E. Y. Bellenson, C. L. Frazier, C. L. Kitts, and R. Jiménez-Flores. 1997.The influence of preheat treatment on mesophilic endospore counts from California milk powder. J. Dairy Sci. 80, Sup1:D155 Poster Presentation.

E. Y. Bellenson, C. L. Frazier, R. Jimenez-Flores and C. L. Kitts. 1997. Comparison of two genetic fingerprinting techniques for characterizing Bacilli isolated from milk powder. 97th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Miami Beach, FL. Poster Presentation.

L. J. Kehl and C. L. Kitts. 1997. Testing fluorescently labelled terminal restriction length polymorphisms as a method for rapidly assesing bacterial community diversity. 97th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Miami Beach, FL. Poster Presentation.

C. L. Kitts, E. A. Margiotta and P. Unkefer. 1994. Morganella morganii nitramine reductase activity is induced by nitroaromatic compounds. 94th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Las Vegas, NV. Poster Presentation.

C. L. Kitts and R. A. Ludwig. 1992. Terminal oxidase mutants in Azorhizobium caulinodans. 5th International Symposium on Molecular Genetics of Plant-Microbe Interactions, Seattle, WA. Poster Presentation.

C. L. Kitts, J. P. Lapointe and R. A. Ludwig. 1992. The complete Azorhizobium caulinodans nicotinate catabolic pathway. 5th International Symposium on Molecular Genetics of Plant-Microbe Interactions, Seattle, WA. Poster Presentation.

C. L. Kitts. 1990. Cytochromes and terminal oxidases of Azorhizobium caulinodans. West Coast Bacterial Physiology Meeting, Asilomar, CA. Invited Talk.

C. L. Kitts, L. E. Schaechter, R. S. Rabin and R. A. Ludwig. 1988. Cyclic intermediates in nicotinate metabolism by Azorhizobium caulinodans. 4th International Symposium on Molecular Genetics of Plant-Microbe Interactions, Acapulco, Mexico. Poster Presentation.

Undergraduate Students Supervised:

• Megan M. McCoy
  Determination of the Presence of the Catabolic Alkane Monooxygenase Gene From Soil Microorganisms Isolated From Coastal Sand Dunes (March 2000)
• Christopher W. Kaplan and Johanna C. Astaire
  Stabilizing Effects of Dietary Lactobacillus acidophilus on the Fecal Bacterial Communities of Rats (November 1999)
• Lisa S. Shimomura
  Determination of the Presence of a Naphthalene Dioxygenase Gene in Microorganisms Isolated from Contaminated Soils on the Central Coast of California (May 2000)
• Trent Elliott
  Molecular Analysis of Environmental Escherichia coli Using Repetitive DNA Sequences and the PCR primer BOXA1R to Differentiate Between Human and Animal Contamination Source (June 2000)
• Christiane M. Houde
  Characterization of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Bacteriophage B3: Investigations into the Host Range and Insertion Site (March 2001)