Campylobacter

As well as causing foodborne diarrhoea, some Campylobacter are causes of reproductive disease particularly in ruminants.  For instance, C. fetus subsp. fetus is the third commonest cause of abortion in sheep (after Chlamydophila abortus and Toxoplasma gondii;) Click here for link to Veterinary Investigation Surveillance Report (VIDA) website.

We commenced our investigations of Campylobacter only recently and we work collaboratively with colleagues at the Universities of Glasgow, Liverpool & Cambridge, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), University of Arhus (Denmark) and others. 

Our work aims to:

• use proteomics and other phenotypic approaches to characterise Campylobacters to differentiate strains and assess their pathogenic potential;
• characterise bacterial pathogenicity factors using genomic, proteomic and phenotypic approaches; 
• determine the effects of infection on the function and immune responses of hosts. 

Together, these approaches advance the understanding of Campylobacter and will assist by defining targets for reducing risk and improving control.