Contact
Department of Biology, University of Haifa at Oranim, Tivon 36006, Israel
Tel: (972) 4 9838978
Fax: (972) 4 8451644; 4 9838911
E-mail: mhalpern@research.haifa.ac.il

M.Sc. 1997, Tel Aviv University, George S. Faculty of Life Sciences, Department of Zoology (Summa Cum Laude)
Ph.D. 2003, University of Haifa, Dept. of Science and Science Education (Summa Cum Laude)

Research Interests

1. The natural reservoir of Vibrio cholerae and the emerging pathogen Aeromonas and the ways that these pathogens are disseminated between water bodies)
2. The "probiotic" role of endogenic bacteria in chironomids (Diptera; Chironomidae)
3. Psychrotrophic microbial community in raw milk
4. The anti-herbivore role of bacteria on plant leaves
5. The role of secondary metabolites in floral nectar in mediating the interactions between plants and microorganisms
6. Microbial populations in drinking water reservoirs
7. Bacterial systematics and industrial exploitation of novel bacteria

Teaching:

Level	Type	Title
B.Sc.	6 points, Lecture + laboratory	Introduction to Microbiology
B.Sc.	3 points, Lecture	Environmental Microbiology
M.Sc.	2 points, Lecture	Environmental Microbiology
B.Sc.	4 points, Laboratory	Workshop in Environmental Microbiology
B.Sc.	2 points, Lecture	Medical Microbiology

Graduate Students Supervised

Completed Theses

Student’s Name	Degree	Thesis Title
Elionora Hantsis-Zacharov	M.Sc.- 2007	Characterization and extracellular activity of psychrotrophic bacteria in raw milk
Yigal Senderovich	M.Sc.- 2007	Vibrio cholerae and pathogenic Aeromonas - new insights into their natural reservoir
Dina Raats	M.Sc.- 2008	Raw milk bacterial community; structure and dynamics

Current Graduate students

Student’s Name	Degree	Thesis Title
Lior Talmon-Laviad	M.Sc.	Characterization of microbial populations in the sediment of a drinking water reservoir
Yana Gershtein	M.Sc.	Evaluation and assimilation of Real Time PCR method for a rapid detection of pathogens in drinking water
Yigal Senderovich	Ph.D.	Interactions between chironomids and their microbial flora;
Svetlana Fridman	M.Sc.	The role of secondary metabolites in floral nectar in mediating the interactions between plants and microorganisms
Anat Dekel	M.Sc.	Study of microorganisms communities by molecular methods as a tool for developing an attached growth treatment process for greywater. (in collaboration with Dr. Eran Friedler, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Dept of Environmental, Water and Agricultural Engineering, the Technion)
Tamar Shaked	M.Sc.	Evaluation and assimilation of Real Time PCR method for a rapid detection of Vibrio cholerae in drinking water and chironomid egg masses

Selected Publications

1. Broza, M., Halpern, M., Teltsch, B., Porat R. and Gasith, A. (1998) Shock chloramination: A potential treatment for Chironomidae (Diptera) larvae nuisance abatement in water supply systems. Journal of Economic Entomology. 91: 834-840. Ref

2. Halpern, M., Gasith, A., Porat, R., Telsch, B. and Broza, M. (1999) Synergistic effect of chloramine and copper sulfate as control agents of planktonic midge larvae (Diptera: Chironomidae) in drinking water supply systems. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association. 15: 453-457. Ref

3. Broza, M., Halpern, M. and Inbar, M. (2000) Non-biting midges (Diptera; Chironomidae) in waste stabilization ponds: an intensifying Nuisance in Israel. Water Science and Technology. 42: 71-74. Ref

4. Broza, M. and Halpern, M. (2001) Chironomids egg masses and Vibrio cholerae. Nature 412: 40. Ref

5. Halpern, M., Gasith, A. and Broza, M. (2002) Does the tube of a benthic chironomid larva play a role in protecting its dweller against chemical toxicants? Hydrobiologia. 470: 49-55. Ref

6. Halpern, M., Gasith, A., Bresler, V. M. and Broza, M. (2002) The protective nature of Chironomus luridus larval tubes against copper sulfate. Journal of Insect Science. 2: 8. Ref

7. Broza, M., Halpern, M., Gahanma, L. and Inbar, M. (2003) Nuisance chironomids in waste stabilization ponds: monitoring and action threshold assessment, based on public complaints. Journal of Vector Ecology. 28: 31-36. Ref

8. Halpern M., Gancz H., Broza, M. and Kashi, Y. (2003) Vibrio cholerae Hemagglutinin/Protease Degrades Chironomid Egg Masses. Journal of Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 69: 4200-4204. Ref

9. Halpern M., Broza, Y. B., Mittler, S., Arakawa, E. and Broza, M. (2004) Chironomid egg masses as a natural reservoir of Vibrio cholerae non-O1 and non-O139 in freshwater habitats. Microbial Ecology. 47: 341-349. Ref

10. Broza, M., Gancz, H., Halpern, M. and Kashi, Y. (2005) Adult Non-Biting Midges: Possible windborne Carriers of Vibrio cholerae. Environmental Microbiology. 7 : 576-585. Ref

11. Halpern, M., Raats, D., Lavion, R. and Mittler, S. (2006) Dependent population dynamics between chironomids (nonbiting midges) and Vibrio cholerae. FEMS Microbiology Ecology. 55: 98-104. Ref

12. Raates, D. and Halpern, M. (2007) Oceanobacillus chironomi sp. nov., a halotolerant and facultative alkaliphilic species isolated from a chironomid egg mass. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 57: 255-259. Ref

13. Halpern, M., Landesberg, O., Raates, D. and Rosenberg E. (2007) Culturable and VBNC Vibrio cholerae; Interactions with chironomid egg masses and their bacterial population. Microbial Ecology. 53: 285-293. Ref

14. Halpern, M., Raats, D. and Lev-Yadun, S. (2007) Plant biological warfare: Infecting pathogenic bacteria into herbivores by thorns. Environmental Microbiology. 9: 584–592. Ref

15. Halpern, M., Senderovich, Y. and Sagi Snir (2007) Rheinheimera chironomi sp. nov., isolated from a chironomid (Diptera; Chironomidae) egg mass. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 57: 1872-1875. Ref

16. Lev-Yadun, S and Halpern, M. (2007) Ergot (Claviceps purpurea) – An aposematic fungus. Symbiosis. 43: 105–108. Ref

17. Hantsis-Zacharov, E., and Halpern, M. (2007) Chryseobacterium haifense sp. nov., a psychrotolerant bacterium isolated from raw milk. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 57: 2344-2348. Ref

18. Halpern, M., Raats, D. and S. Lev-Yadun. (2007) The potential antiherbivory role of microorganisms on plant thorns. Plant Signaling and Behavior. 2: 503-504. Ref

19. Hantsis-Zacharov, E., and Halpern, M. (2007) Culturable Psychrotrophic Bacterial Communities in Raw Milk and Their Proteolytic and Lipolytic Traits. Journal of Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 73: 7162–7168. Ref

20. Senderovich, Y., Gershtein, Y. Halewa Etti and Halpern, M. (2008) Vibrio cholerae and Aeromonas; do they share a mutual host? The ISME Journal 2: 276–283. Ref

21. Hantsis-Zacharov, E., Senderovich, Y. and Halpern, M. (2008) Chryseobacterium bovis sp. nov. isolated from raw cow's milk. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 58: 1024-1028. Ref

22. Halpern, M., Senderovich, Y. and Izhaki I. (2008) Waterfowl — the missing link in epidemic and pandemic cholera dissemination? PloS Pathogens. 4: e1000173. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1000173. Ref

23. Hantsis-Zacharov, E., Shakéd T., Senderovich, Y. and Halpern, M. (2008) Chryseobacterium oranimense sp. nov., a psychrotolerant, proteolytic and lipolytic bacterium isolated from raw cow's milk. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 58: 2635-2639. Ref see also Ref

24. Halpern, M., Shakéd, T., Pukall, R. and Schumann, P. (2009) Leucobacter chironomi sp. nov., in the family Microbacteriaceae, a chromate resistant bacterium isolated from a chironomid egg mass. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 59: 665–670. Ref

25. Halpern, M., Shakéd, T. and Peter Schumann. (2009, accepted) Brachymonas chironomi sp. nov. isolated from a chironomid egg mass and emended description of the genus Brachymonas. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. Ref

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