
Languages Spoken: English
Dr. John Kriesel graduated from Lake Forest High School in 1980 and then cum laude from the University of Illinois in 1984. He went on to graduate from Washington University Medical School in 1988. He came to Utah that year and completed a residency in Internal Medicine in 1991, and then a fellowship in Infectious Diseases (ID) in 1994. Dr. Kriesel joined the faculty at the University of Utah School of Medicine in 1996 with a primary appointment in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. He was promoted to Research Associate Professor in 2007. He is currently board certified in Infectious Diseases and has been continuously since 1994. He is also an AAHIVM certified HIV specialist.
Dr. Kriesel's primary interests here are in translational and clinical research. He discovered a major genetic contributor to human cold sores. His research projects include novel treatments of herpes simplex virus infections, antiviral vaccines, and microbiologic triggers of autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS) and sarcoidosis. He has recently demonstrated microbial RNA sequences that are over expressed in MS and sarcoidosis, suggesting causes to these autoimmune diseases. He has authored 49 original scientific papers and book chapters and has 3 U.S. patents.
Dr. Kriesel's clinical responsibilities include infectious disease consultations at the VA and University Hospitals, General ID and HIV clinic at the University Hospital, and attending at the Salt Lake City STD Clinic. He participates in the education of medical students, allied health students, internal medicine residents, and infectious disease fellows.
Clinical Locations
Infectious Diseases, Area E
801-585-2031
Specialties
Board Certification and Academic Information
Academic Departments | Internal Medicine
-
Associate Professor (Clinical) Dermatology - Adjunct Associate Professor |
Academic Divisions | Infectious Diseases |
Board Certification | American Board of Internal Medicine (Sub: Infectious Disease) National Board of Medical Examiners |
Patient Rating
The Patient Rating score is an average of all responses to care provider related questions on our nationally-recognized Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction Survey.
Responses are measured on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best score.
Likelihood of recommending care provider
4.9/ 5

Care provider's explanation of condition/problem
4.8/ 5

Care provider's effort to include me in decisions
4.9/ 5

Wait time at clinic
4.5/ 5

Care provider's concern for questions & worries
4.9/ 5

Patient Comments
Patient comments are gathered from our Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction Survery and displayed in their entirety. Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.
UofU Patient
June 06, 2022
UH HOSPITALS AND CLINICS
The most attended treatment I have received in my entire life.
UofU Patient
March 28, 2022
UH HOSPITALS AND CLINICS
Dr. Kriesel was excellent. Well-informed and attentive. He was also patient and made me feel at ease. I also feel like out of all the MANY doctors I have he was one of the most personable and caring. I like him a lot and he helped dilute a lot of my fears about my treatment. I feel safe in his care.
UofU Patient
March 28, 2022
UH HOSPITALS AND CLINICS
Good
UofU Patient
December 14, 2021
UH HOSPITALS AND CLINICS
Dr Kriesel was incredibly attentive, took the time to explain and teach. I am always super impressed when interacting with him.
UofU Patient
April 12, 2021
UH HOSPITALS AND CLINICS
good experience
UofU Patient
April 06, 2021
UH HOSPITALS AND CLINICS
Very pleased. No problem
Dr. John Kriesel graduated from Lake Forest High School in 1980 and then cum laude from the University of Illinois in 1984. He went on to graduate from Washington University Medical School in 1988. He came to Utah that year and completed a residency in Internal Medicine in 1991, and then a fellowship in Infectious Diseases (ID) in 1994. Dr. Kriesel joined the faculty at the University of Utah School of Medicine in 1996 with a primary appointment in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. He was promoted to Research Associate Professor in 2007. He is currently board certified in Infectious Diseases and has been continuously since 1994. He is also an AAHIVM certified HIV specialist.
Dr. Kriesel's primary interests here are in translational and clinical research. He discovered a major genetic contributor to human cold sores. His research projects include novel treatments of herpes simplex virus infections, antiviral vaccines, and microbiologic triggers of autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS) and sarcoidosis. He has recently demonstrated microbial RNA sequences that are over expressed in MS and sarcoidosis, suggesting causes to these autoimmune diseases. He has authored 49 original scientific papers and book chapters and has 3 U.S. patents.
Dr. Kriesel's clinical responsibilities include infectious disease consultations at the VA and University Hospitals, General ID and HIV clinic at the University Hospital, and attending at the Salt Lake City STD Clinic. He participates in the education of medical students, allied health students, internal medicine residents, and infectious disease fellows.
Academic Locations
Research Statement
Viral Trigger of MS:
Objectives: This is an exploratory (R21) application that uses advanced sequencing technology for the discovery of viruses in the brains of patients who died with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS).
Research Design: This is a retrospective study that utilizes frozen brain tissue from subjects with PPMS, other neurologic disease (OND), and normal controls. Deep sequencing of these specimens will be performed in the sequencing core laboratory at the Huntsman Cancer Institute on the University of Utah campus. Advanced informatics (metagenomics) will be used to compare millions of sequences from each group. The University of Utah Health Sciences IRB (UU-IRB #00028658) has reviewed the project and determined that the project uses only tissues from deceased, not living, subjects and is, therefore, exempt from review and oversight under NIH guidelines.
Methodology: The first specific aim will evaluate the presence, quantity, and assembly of virus-like sequences in brain specimens from primary progressive MS patients compared with control brain specimens. It is proposed that 15 PPMS frozen brain specimens will be extracted, evaluated, and sequenced using the techniques described. These sequences will be compared with the sets of control brain specimens, 15 each, from pathologically proven normal and OND controls. Differences in the presence and quantity of plausibly viral sequences between the MS and the two sets of control specimens will be examined using methods described below. The second aim of the project is to interrogate additional MS samples for the presence of candidate viruses using PCR. Additional samples will be interrogated for presence of the existing candidate virus, GBV-C, and any other candidate viruses that emerge from the proposed deep sequencing. This will be accomplished using the sequencing data to design primers and amplify any additional candidates that may emerge from the sequencing efforts in Aim 1. These PCR techniques will be applied to the 45 PPMS and control specimens sequenced in Aim 1. Additional cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), frozen brain specimens, and fixed paraffinized brain specimens from deceased, deidentified subjects will be collected for analysis.
Findings: The project is set to begin in the fall of 2011 so there are no new findings to report.
Clinical Relationships: This is a high risk, potentially high reward research project that is intended to identify one or more pathogens associated with PPMS, a devastating disease with no known cause and few effective options for treatment. If successful, this work could lead to treatment and/or prevention of PPMS in veterans and active duty military personnel.
Board Certification and Academic Information
Academic Departments | Internal Medicine
-
Associate Professor (Clinical) Dermatology - Adjunct Associate Professor |
Academic Divisions | Infectious Diseases |
Board Certification | American Board of Internal Medicine (Sub: Infectious Disease) National Board of Medical Examiners |
Education History
Fellowship | University of Utah School of Medicine Infectious Disease Fellow, 1994 |
Residency | University of Utah School of Medicine Internal Medicine Resident, 1991 |
Internship | University of Utah School of Medicine Intern, 1989 |
Professional Medical | Washington University Medicine M.D., 1988 |
Undergraduate | University of Illinois Biology B.S., 1984 |
Selected Publications - Journal Articles
Journal Article
- Jiang H, Schwertz H, Schmid DI, Jones BB, Kriesel J, Martinez ML, Weyrich AS, Zimmerman GA, Kraiss LW (2012). Different mechanisms preserve translation of programmed cell death 8 and JunB in virus-infected endothelial cells. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, 32(4), 997-1004.
- Kriesel JD, Hobbs MR, Jones BB, Milash B, Nagra RM, Fischer KF (2012). Deep sequencing for the detection of virus-like sequences in the brains of patients with multiple sclerosis: detection of GBV-C in human brain. PLoS One, 7(3), e31886.
- Kriesel JD, Jones BB, Matsunami N, Patel MK, St Pierre CA, Kurt-Jones EA, Finberg RW, Leppert M, Hobbs MR (2011). C21orf91 genotypes correlate with herpes simplex labialis (cold sore) frequency: description of a cold sore susceptibility gene. J Infect Dis, 204(11), 1654-62.
- Bigham AW, Buckingham KJ, Husain S, Emond MJ, Bofferding KM, Gildersleeve H, Rutherford A, Astakhova NM, Perelygin AA, Busch MP, Murray KO, Sejvar JJ, Green S, Kriesel J, Brinton MA, Bamshad M (2011). Host genetic risk factors for West Nile virus infection and disease progression. PLoS One, 6(9), e24745.
- Hobbs MR, Jones BB, Otterud BE, Leppert M, Kriesel JD (2008). Identification of a herpes simplex labialis susceptibility region on human chromosome 21. J Infect Dis, 197(3), 340-6.
- Hobbs MR, Jones BB, Otterud BE, Leppert MF, Kriesel JD (2007). Identification of a Herpes Simplex Labialis Susceptibility Region on Human Chromosome 21. J Infect Dis.
Case Report
Abstract
- Kriesel JD, Jones BB, Herpin G, Grissom C (2007). Development of an Antigene Therapy for the Treatment of Herpes Keratitis [Abstract]. Annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).
- Jiang H, Jones BB, Kriesel J, Schmid DI, Weyrich AS, Zimmerman GA, Kraiss LW (2007). A New Pathway To Gene Expression in Human Endothelial Cells: Filamin B translation is preserved by internal ribosome entry in virally- infected Endothelial Cells [Abstract]. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology Annual Conference.
- Kriesel JD, Jones BB, Herpin G, Grissom C (2006). Development of an Antigene Therapy for the Treatment of Herpes Keratitis. [Abstract]. Annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).
Patent
- John D. Kriesel, Kael Fischer, others (2018). Compositions and Methods Useful in Detecting and Treating Multiple Sclerosis and Other Demyelinating Diseases. U.S. Patent No. WO 2020/139782 A1. Washington, D.C.:U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
- Kriesel JD, Leppert MF, Spruance SL, Otterud BE, Hobbs MR, Jones BB (2005). DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS DISEASES. . U.S. Patent No. 11/102,978. Washington, D.C.:U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
- Kriesel JD, Jones BB, Grissom CB, Herpin G, Glazer PM (2005). OLIGONUCLEOTIDE COMPLEXES FOR USE AS ANTI-VIRAL THERAPEUTICS. Filed April, 2004. . U.S. Patent No. 10/830,287. Washington, D.C.:U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.