Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens
Campylobacter
Primary Objectives
We will study the biology of Campylobacter with the aim to improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying stress-responses of the pathogen Campylobacter in
- The human and avian gut.
- The environment and food chain.
Furthermore we will investigate
- The physiology, metabolism and virulence of Campylobacter.
We will apply systems approaches and network analyses to our data, in collaboration with experts in Microbial Complexity.
Infection with Campylobacter is the major cause of foodborne bacterial gastroenteritis in the UK. Infection usually occurs via contaminated poultry meat, and more than 70% of chicken carcasses at retail are contaminated with Campylobacter. Reduction of the numbers of Campylobacter on meat is predicted to reduce the number of infections significantly and is one of the strategic aims of the Food Standards Agency, but the development of effective prevention and intervention strategies is severely hampered by our relative lack of understanding of Campylobacter biology. To address this issue, Campylobacter research at IFR aims to further our understanding of the biology of Campylobacter, by elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying physiology, metabolism, stress adaptation, and infection by and virulence of Campylobacter, using C. jejuni as a model.
Campylobacter research at IFR has historically made significant contributions to the development of functional genomics approaches for Campylobacter, and has forged several long-running collaborative projects with the UK Campylobacter community. Furthermore, the group has developed novel resources that will contribute to the research proposed here. We have developed novel tractable genetic tools for C. jejuni using a conserved pseudogene, which allow complementation and controlled expression of C. jejuni genes. The research will build on preliminary data generated from "omics" experiments using defined wild-type strains and isogenic mutants, grown in a variety of environmental conditions.
The IFR Campylobacter group organises the 2009 CampyUK meeting on 17-18 September, 2009 in Norwich. For more information see the CampyUK2009 website.
Fax: +44(0)1603 507723 
