Mark Achtman co-pioneered the development of bacterial population genetics and carried out influential studies characterising strains associated with epidemics of meningococcal disease in Africa. He has undertaken remarkable and highly innovative studies on the human gut pathogen, Helicobacter pylori, showing its ancient association with humans and the ability of genetic studies of this pathogen to complement linguistic and human genetic studies to trace the ancient migrations of its human host. He has also carried out elegant and incisive genetic studies of Yersinia pestis to explore the origins and spread of plague pandemics.
^Achtman, Mark (1965). Adenovirus 7: a study of the haemagglutinin and the haemagglutinating system (PhD thesis). University of Manitoba. OCLC184853811.
^Achtman, Mark (1969). A Genetic Study of the F-Factor (PhD thesis). University of California, Berkeley. OCLC29422094. ProQuest302395896.
^Reuter, S; Connor, T. R.; Barquist, L; Walker, D; Feltwell, T; Harris, S. R.; Fookes, M; Hall, M. E.; Petty, N. K.; Fuchs, T. M.; Corander, J; Dufour, M; Ringwood, T; Savin, C; Bouchier, C; Martin, L; Miettinen, M; Shubin, M; Riehm, J. M.; Laukkanen-Ninios, R; Sihvonen, L. M.; Siitonen, A; Skurnik, M; Falcão, J. P.; Fukushima, H; Scholz, H. C.; Prentice, M. B.; Wren, B. W.; Parkhill, J; et al. (2014). "Parallel independent evolution of pathogenicity within the genus Yersinia". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 111 (18): 6768–73. Bibcode:2014PNAS..111.6768R. doi:10.1073/pnas.1317161111. PMC4020045. PMID24753568.
^Parkhill, J.; Achtman, M.; James, K. D.; Bentley, S. D.; Churcher, C.; Klee, S. R.; Morelli, G.; Basham, D.; Brown, D.; Chillingworth, T.; Davies, R. M.; Davis, P.; Devlin, K.; Feltwell, T.; Hamlin, N.; Holroyd, S.; Jagels, K.; Leather, S.; Moule, S.; Mungall, K.; Quail, M. A.; Rajandream, M. -A.; Rutherford, K. M.; Simmonds, M.; Skelton, J.; Whitehead, S.; Spratt, B. G.; Barrell, B. G. (2000). "Complete DNA sequence of a serogroup a strain of Neisseria meningitidis Z2491". Nature. 404 (6777): 502–6. Bibcode:2000Natur.404..502P. doi:10.1038/35006655. PMID10761919. S2CID4430718.
^Falush, D; Wirth, T; Linz, B; Pritchard, J. K.; Stephens, M; Kidd, M; Blaser, M. J.; Graham, D. Y.; Vacher, S; Perez-Perez, G. I.; Yamaoka, Y; Mégraud, F; Otto, K; Reichard, U; Katzowitsch, E; Wang, X; Achtman, M; Suerbaum, S (2003). "Traces of human migrations in Helicobacter pylori populations". Science. 299 (5612): 1582–5. Bibcode:2003Sci...299.1582F. doi:10.1126/science.1080857. PMID12624269. S2CID1515436.